This website is devoted to the extraordinary mystics and visionaries of the Church, especially those who are lesser known such as St Gemma Galgani, Blessed Alexandrina da Costa, Sr Josefa Menendez, Marie Rose Ferron, Rev. Pere Lamy, Gabrielle Bossis and others. The author endeavors always to be in communion with the Catholic Church and its teachings. May God bless all who visit here. +

Short stories of Purgatory -A remarkable collection of visits from the souls in Purgatory to various Saints and Mystics.

“I know when you pray for me, and it is the same with all of the other souls here in Purgatory. Very few of us here get any prayers; the majority of us are totally abandoned, with no thought or prayers offered for us from those on earth” (Message from a soul in Purgatory)

Over the years of studying the lives of the mystics of the Church I have amassed a large number of eye witness accounts from various books and manuscripts of the appearances of the souls in Purgatory to a number of persons-- a good number of these accounts are not widely known, so I thought it would make a very interesting study to compile a number of shorter accounts from a variety of sources for those interested in this subject.

St Padre Pio’s visions of the souls in Purgatory

In May, 1922, Padre Pio testified the following to the Bishop of Melfi, His Excellency Alberto Costa and also the superior of the friary, Padre Lorenzo of San Marco along with 5 other friars. One of the five friars, Fra Alberto D' Apolito of San Giovanni Rotondo wrote down the account as follows:

"While in the friary on a winter afternoon after a heavy snowfall, he was sitting by the fireplace one evening in the guest room, absorbed in prayer, when an old man, wearing an old-fashioned cloak still worn by southern Italian peasants at the time, sat down beside him. Concerning this man Pio states: ‘I could not imagine how he could have entered the friary at this time of night since all the doors are locked. I questioned him: 'Who are you? What do you want?'

The old man told him, "Padre Pio, I am Pietro Di Mauro, son of Nicola, nicknamed Precoco." He went on to say, "I died in this friary on the 18th of September, 1908, in cell number 4, when it was still a poorhouse. One night, while in bed, I fell asleep with a lighted cigar, which ignited the mattress and I died, suffocated and burned. I am still in Purgatory. I need a holy Mass in order to be freed. God permitted that I come and ask you for help."

According to Padre Pio: "After listening to him, I replied, 'Rest assured that tomorrow I will celebrate Mass for your liberation.' I arose and accompanied him to the door of the friary, so that he could leave. I did not realize at that moment that the door was closed and locked: I opened it and bade him farewell The moon lit up the square, covered with snow. When I no longer saw him in front of me, I was taken by a sense of fear, and I closed the door, reentered the guest room, and felt faint.”

A few days later, Padre Pio also told the story to Padre Paolino, and the two decided to go to the town hall, where they looked at the vital statistics for the year I908 and found that on September 18 of that year, one Pietro Di Mauro had in fact died of burns and asphyxiation in Room Number 4 at the friary, then used as a home for the homeless.

Around the same time, Padre Pio told Fra Alberto of another apparition of a soul from Purgatory which also occurred around the same time. He said:

One evening, when I was absorbed in prayer in the choir of the little church I was shaken and disturbed by the sound of footsteps, and candles and flower vases being moved on the main altar. Thinking that someone must be there, I called out, "Who is it?"

No one answered. Returning to prayer, I was again disturbed by the same noises. In fact, this time I had the impression that one of the candles, which was in front of the statue of Our Lady of Grace, had fallen. Wanting to see what was happening on the altar, I stood up, went close to the grate and saw, in the shadow of the light of the Tabernacle lamp, a young confrere doing some cleaning. I yelled out, "What are you doing in the dark?" The little friar answered, "I am cleaning."

"You clean in the dark?" I asked. "Who are you?"

The little friar said, ‘I am a Capuchin novice, who spends his time of Purgatory here. I am in need of prayers.’ and then he disappeared,"

Padre Pio stated that he immediately began praying for him as requested, and it is not known if he had any further dealings with this particular soul. However, in regards souls in Purgatory it is very interesting to note that later in life Padre Pio once said that ‘As many souls of the dead come up this road [to the monastery] as that of the souls of the living.” Without a doubt, many souls from Purgatory visited Padre Pio seeking his prayers, sacrifices and sufferings to obtain their release.

From the manuscript of Sister M. de L.C., written from 1874-1890

To get an idea of how Purgatory is arranged, we can get a good glimpse of it from a nun from France who had died on February 22, 1871 at the age of 36, and 2-1/2 years later (in November 1873) she began appearing from Purgatory to a fellow nun in her convent, named Sister M. de L.C (name kept anonymous in the manuscript to protect the nuns identity, as the manuscript was published while the nun was still living) as related in the booklet “An Unpublished Manuscript on Purgatory” published by The Reparation Society of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Inc., 2002:

“I can tell you about the different degrees of Purgatory because I have passed through them. In the great Purgatory there are several stages. In the lowest and most painful, it is like a temporary hell, and here there are the sinners who have committed terrible crimes during life and whose death surprised them in that state. It was almost a miracle that they were saved, and often by the prayers of holy parents or other pious persons. Sometimes they did not even have time to confess their sins and the world thought them lost, but God, whose mercy is infinite, gave them at the moment of death the contrition necessary for their salvation on account of one or more good actions which they performed during life. For such souls, Purgatory is terrible. It is a real hell with this difference, that in hell they curse God, whereas we bless Him and thank Him for having saved us.

Next to these come the souls, who though they did not com¬mit great crimes like the others, were indifferent to God. They did not fulfill their Easter duties and were also converted at the point of death. Many were unable to receive Holy Communion. They are in Purgatory for the long years of indifference. They suffer unheard of pains and are abandoned either without prayers or if they are said for them, they are not allowed to profit by them. There are in this stage of Purgatory religious of both sexes, who were tepid, neglectful of their duties, indifferent towards Jesus, also priests who did not exercise their sacred ministry with the reverence due to the Sovereign Majesty and who did not instill the love of God sufficiently into the souls confided to their care. I was in this stage of Purgatory.

In the second Purgatory are the souls of those who died with venial sins not fully expiated before death, or with mortal sins that have been forgiven but for which they have not made entire satisfaction to the Divine Justice. In this part of Purgatory, there are also different degrees according to the merits of each soul.

Thus the Purgatory of the consecrated souls or of those who have received more abundant graces, is longer and far more painful than that of ordinary people of the world.

Lastly, there is the Purgatory of desire which is called the Threshold. Very few escape this. To avoid it altogether, one must ardently desire Heaven and the vision of God. That is rare, rarer than people think, because even pious people are afraid of God and have not, therefore, a sufficiently strong desire of going to Heaven. This Purgatory has its very painful martyrdom like the others. The deprivation of the sight of our loving Jesus adds to the intense suffering.”

Another explanation of the levels in Purgatory from this same book:

Retreat, August 1878: “Great sinners who were indifferent towards God, and religious who were not what they should have been are in the lowest stage of Purgatory. While they are there [in the lowest realms of Purgatory], the prayers offered up for them are not applied to them. Because they have ignored God during their life, He now in His turn leaves them abandoned [without the aid of the prayers of others] in order that they may repair their neglectful and worthless lives. While on earth one truly cannot picture or imagine what God really is, but we (in Purgatory) know and understand Him for what He is, because our souls are freed from all the ties that fettered them and prevented them from realizing the holiness and majesty of God and His great mercy. We are martyrs, consumed as it were by love. An irresistible force draws us towards God who is our center, but at the same time another force thrusts us back to our place of expiation.

We are in the state of being unable to satisfy our longings. Oh, what a suffering that is, but we desire it and there is no murmuring against God here. We desire only what God wants. You on earth, however, cannot possibly understand what we have to endure. I am much relieved as I am no longer in the fire. I have now only the insatiable desire to see God, a suffering cruel enough indeed, but I feel that the end of my exile is at hand and that I am soon to leave this place where I long for God with all my heart. I know it well, I feel more at ease, but I cannot tell you the day or the hour of my release. God alone knows that. It may be that I have still many years of longing for Heaven. Continue to pray; I will repay you later on, though I do pray a great deal for you now.”

Why is it that I pray for you with less fervor than I pray for others and that often I forget to recommend you?

Do not trouble yourself about that. It is a punishment for me.

Even if you prayed more I should not be any the more relieved. God wills it thus. If He wants you to pray more He will inspire you to do so. I repeat again, do not be worried about me. You will never see me in my sufferings. Later on, when your soul is stronger, you will see souls in Purgatory and very awful ones, but let this not frighten you. God will then give you the necessary courage and all that you need to accomplish His holy will.

Is this not a punishment?

No, certainly not, I am here for my relief and for your sanctification. If you would but pay a little more attention to what I say.

That is true but these happenings are so extraordinary that I do not know what to make of them; it is not an ordinary thing to hear you in this way.

I understand well your difficulty and I am aware of your sufferings on this account. However, if God wishes it and it relieves me, you will have pity on me, will you not? When I am released you will see that I will do far more for you than you have ever done for me. I already pray much for you.

Where is Sister --?

In the lowest Purgatory, where she receives no benefit from anyone's prayers. God is often displeased, if one may speak thus, when many religious come to die, because He has called these souls to Himself that they might serve Him faithfully on earth and go straight to Heaven at the moment of death, but because of their infidelity, they have to stay long in Purgatory - far longer than people in the world who have not had so many graces.

1879, Retreat in September. We see St. Michael as we see the angels. He has no body. He comes to get the souls that have finished their purification. It is he who conducts them to Heaven. He is among the Seraphim as Monsignor said. He is the highest angel in Heaven. Our own Guardian Angels come to see us but St. Michael is far more beautiful than they are. As to the Blessed Virgin, we see her in the body. She comes to Purgatory on her feasts and she goes back to Heaven with many souls. While she is with us we do not suffer. St. Michael accompanies her. When he comes alone, we suffer as usual. When I spoke to you of the great and the second Purgatory, it was to try to make you understand that there are different stages in Purgatory. Thus I call that stage of Purgatory “great” or “worst” where the most guilty souls are, and where I stayed for two years without being able to give a sign of the torments I was suffering. The year when you heard me groaning, when I began to speak to you, I was still in the same place.

In the second Purgatory, which is still Purgatory but very different from the first, one suffers a great deal, but less than in the great place of expiation. Then there is a third stage, which is the Purgatory of desire, where there is no fire. The souls who did not desire Heaven ardently enough, who did not love God sufficiently, are there. It is there that I am at this moment. Further, in these three parts of Purgatory, there are many degrees of variation. Little by little, as the soul becomes purified, her sufferings are changed.

You sometimes say to me that the perfecting of a soul is a long process and you are also astonished that after so many prayers, I am so long deprived of the sight of God. Alas, the perfecting of a soul does not take any less time in Purgatory than upon earth. There are a number of souls, but they are very few, who have only a few venial sins to expiate. These do not stay long in Purgatory. A few well-said prayers, a few sacrifices soon deliver them. But when there are souls like mine - and that is nearly all whose lives have been so empty and who paid little or no attention to their salvation - then their whole life has to be begun over again in this place of expiation. The soul has to perfect itself and love and desire Him, whom it did not love sufficiently on earth. This is the reason why the deliverance of some souls is delayed. God has given me a very great grace in allowing me to ask for prayers. I did not deserve it, but without this I would have remained like most of those here, for years and years more.”

The immense power of the Mass for the souls in Purgatory

Next, from the excellent book “Purgatory –Explained by the Lives and Legends of the Saints” by Father F.X. Schouppe, S.J., Tan Books, 1986 we read the following accounts which highlight the power and importance of offering holy Masses for the departed. The following is a sincere testimony from the person who experienced several visits from a soul in purgatory, and thus she provides a detailed and frank eye-witness account with regard to the facts:

On October 13, 1849, there died at the age of fifty-two, in the parish of Ardoye, in Flanders, a woman named Eugenie Van de Kerckove, whose husband, John Wybo, was a farmer. She was a pious and charitable woman who generously gave to charity in proportionate to her means. She had, to the end of her life, a great devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and abstained from meat in her honor on the Friday and Saturday of each week. Although her conduct was not free from certain faults, she otherwise led a exemplary and edifying life.

Eugenie had a servant named Barbara Vennecke, aged twenty-eight, who was known as a virtuous and devoted girl, and who had assisted her mistress in her last sickness, and after Eugenie’s death, she continued to serve her master, John Wybo, the widower of Eugenie.

About three weeks after her death, the deceased appeared to her servant under circumstances which we will now relate. It was in the middle of the night; Barbara slept soundly, when she heard herself called distinctly three times by her name. She awoke with a start, and saw Eugenie before her, sitting on the side of her bed, clad in a working dress, consisting of a skirt and short jacket. At this remarkable sight, Barbara was seized with astonishment. The apparition spoke to her: “Barbara," she said, simply pronouncing her name. “What do you desire, Eugenie?" replied the servant.

Power of the Mass for souls in Purgatory

‘Please take," said the mistress, “the little rake which I often told you to put in its place; stir the heap of sand in the little room; you know to which one I refer. You will find there 500 franks; use it to have Masses said, two francs for each Mass, for my intention, for I am still suffering." “I will do so, Eugenie," replied Barbara, and at the same moment the apparition vanished. After awhile she fell asleep again, and reposed quietly until morning:

On awaking, Barbara thought that maybe it was all just a dream, but yet she had been so deeply impressed, so wide awake, she had seen her old mistress in a form so distinct, so full of life and she had received from her lips such precise directions, that she could not help saying, “This cannot have been a dream. I saw my mistress in person; she presented herself to my eyes and she surely spoke to me. It is no dream, but a reality."

She therefore immediately went and took the rake as directed, stirred the sand, and drew out a purse containing the sum of five hundred francs.

In such strange and extraordinary circumstances the good girl thought it her duty to seek the advice of her pastor before spending the 500 francs on having Masses said, and went to relate to him all that had happened. The venerable Abbe R., then parish priest of Ardoye, replied that the Masses asked by the departed soul absolutely must be celebrated, but, in order to dispose of the sum of money, the consent of the husband, John Wybo, was necessary, since the money was found in his house. The latter willingly consented that the money should be employed for so holy a purpose, and the Masses were celebrated, being given two francs for each Mass.

We call attention to the circumstance of the Mass donations, because it corresponded with the pious custom of the deceased. The fee for a Mass fixed by the diocese at that time was a franc and a half, but during her lifetime Eugenie-through consideration and charity for the clergy, many of whom were quite poor- always gave two francs for each Mass that she made offerings for. Thus the extra 1/2 a frank Mass offering that she normally made was an act of charity and additional financial support for the priests who celebrated them.

Two months after the first apparition, while Masses were still being said for Eugenie’s intentions, Barbara was again awakened during the night. This time her chamber was illuminated with a bright light, and her mistress appeared before her with a radiant smile, beautiful and fresh in appearance as in the days of her youth, and was dressed in a robe of dazzling whiteness—“Barbara," she said in a clear voice, “I thank you! For I am now delivered from the place of purification.' Saying these words, she disappeared, and the chamber became dark as before.

The servant, amazed at what she had just seen, was full of joy, and she soon spread the remarkable story to everyone about the town . This apparition made the most lively impression upon her mind, and she preserves to this day the most consoling remembrance of it. It is from her that we have these details, through the favor of the venerable Abbe L., who was curate at Ardoye when these facts occurred.

This is but one of the many stories in regards to the power and efficacy of the Holy Mass wherein the Son of God Himself offers Himself upon the altar for the forgiveness of our sins, for it is a fact that of all that we can do in favor of the souls in Purgatory, there is nothing more powerful and precious than the offering of immolation of our Divine Saviour upon the altar. Besides being the express doctrine of the Church as manifested in her Councils, there are many miraculous facts, properly authenticated, which leave no room for doubt in regard to this point.

In evidence to this we now provide another incident, related by the historian Ferdinand of Castile. From 1324-1327 there was at Cologne two Dominican Religious of distinguished talent, one of whom was Blessed Henry Suso (1295-1366). They shared the same studies, the same kind of life, and above all the same desire for sanctity, which had caused them to form an close friendship.

When they had finished their studies, seeing that they were about to be separated to return each one to his own convent, they agreed and promised one another that the first of the two who should die should be assisted by the other for a whole year by the celebration of two Masses each week--on Monday a Mass of Requiem, as was customary, and on Friday that of the Passion, in so far as the Rubrics would permit. They promised each other that they would do this, gave each other the kiss of peace, and left Cologne.

For several years they both continued to serve God with the most edifying fervor. The priest religious whose name is not mentioned was the first to be called away, and Father Suso received the news with sentiments of resignation to the Divine will. As to the contract they had made, time had caused him to forget it. However, he prayed much for his friend, imposing new penances upon himself and many other good works, but he did not think of offering the Masses which he had promised a number of years previously.

One morning, while meditating in retirement in the chapel, he suddenly saw appear before him the soul of his departed friend, who, regarding him with tenderness, reproached him with having been unfaithful to his word from which he had a perfect right to rely upon with confidence. Blessed Suso, surprised, excused his forgetfulness by relating the many prayers and mortifications which he had offered, and still continued to offer, for his friend, whose salvation was as dear to him as his own.

"Is it possible, my dear brother;' he added, "that so many prayers and good works which I have offered to God do not suffice for you?" "Oh no," dear brother, replied the suffering soul, "these are not yet sufficient. It is the Blood of Jesus Christ that is needed to extinguish the flames by which I am consumed; it is the Holy Sacrifice which will deliver me from these frightful torments. I implore you to keep your word, and refuse me not that which in justice you owe me."

Blessed Suso hastened to respond to the appeal of the suffering soul; he contacted as many priests as possible and urged them to say Masses for his friends intentions and, to repair his fault, he celebrated, and caused to be celebrated, a large number of Masses that very same day. On the following day several priests, at the request of Father Suso, united with him in offering the Holy Sacrifice for the deceased, and he continued his act of charity for several days.

After a short time the priest friend of Suso again appeared to him, but now in a very different condition; his countenance was joyful, and he was surrounded with beautiful light. "Thanks be to you, my dear friend” he said “behold, by the Blood of my Saviour I am delivered from my sufferings. I am now going to Heaven to contemplate Him whom we so often adored together under the Eucharistic veil."

Afterwards, Blessed Suso prostrated himself to ‘thank the God of infinite mercy, because he now understood more than ever the inestimable value of the Mass.’

Eugenie von der Leyen

Modern apparitions to Eugenie von der Leyen (1867-1929)

As to Saints and Blesseds, so far we have shared stories from St Padre Pio and Blessed Henry Suso. But there are many more canonized Saints who have been great helpers of the suffering souls. The most well known and recognized are St John Macias (who was known to have released literally thousands of souls from Purgatory during his holy lifetime), St. Augustine, St. Dominic, St. Francis Xavier, St. Victor, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Nicolas of Tolentino, St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, St. Catherine of Genoa, St. Bernard of Clairvaux, St. Gregory the Great, St. Odilon of Cluny, St. Francesca Romana, St. Bridget of Sweden, St. Ambrose, St. Bonaventure, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Efraim, St. Peter Damian, St. Francis de Sales, St. Catherine of Genoa, and in modern times the recently canonized saints Gemma Galgani, St. Padre Pio, and St Faustina Kowalska, to name but a few.

Since many of the stories of Purgatory from the above mentioned Saints are well known, the emphasis here is to provide the lesser known and nonetheless fascinating stories from sources and individuals not widely known or read, because in His infinite mercy, history is full of “everyday” persons whom on occasion God has permitted to assist the souls in Purgatory. I will say however that the one notable thing about such occurrences is that seers of souls from Purgatory are often reported to be especially good and pious persons, which is logical, for God permits a soul to appear so that it can be released from Purgatory, or at least, that its suffering be greatly lessened, and a pious, compassionate person is more likely to respond to its requests by the offering of fervent sacrifices, sufferings and prayers which are the means which help the poor souls. In other words, such souls are “saintly” persons, without of course ever becoming canonized Saints.

One such soul is Eugenie von der Leyen (1867-1929) who kept a diary of the appearances of the souls in Purgatory to her. Eugenie was a well educated woman of high German nobility; in fact Eugenie bore the title of princess and lived in the ancestral castle at Waal, Bavaria, Germany. By order of her confessor, she kept diary of her contacts with the poor souls, which after her death was handed over to Bishop Eugenio Pacelli, who later became Pope Pius XII.

The Shepherd named Fritz –From the diary of Eugenie von der Leyen, 1923.

June 11, 1923. At awakening, a long grayish form over me, completely nebulous; I can't say whether man or woman, but unsympathetic; I am very frightened.

June 14. The phantom was already in my room when I wanted to sleep. Then I said my evening-prayer aloud, during which it came very near to me. If it hadn't been for his arms, it rather would seem a walking tree-trunk. It stayed perhaps twenty minutes, then came back at four o'clock.

June 16. It was very bad. It shook my shoulder. That is a horrible moment. I struck him and said: "You may not touch me!" Whereupon it withdrew in a corner. At my push, I didn't feel a body, it was like a humid, warm towel. I believed I couldn't stand such terror any longer.

June 18. Again this horrible thing; it wanted to clasp my neck. I prayed in fear and took the particle of the Cross [a holy relic she possessed] in my hand. Then it remained with me, staying upright and big before me. It didn't answer questions." then it went out through the door, which it left open.

June 19. I can recognize now that it is a man; he was only there for a short while.

June 21. The horrible man more than an hour during the night, went back and forth continuously. He has disheveled black hair and horrific eyes.

June 22. This man from one o'clock until past five with me, it was very bad. He repeatedly bowed over me and sat down at my bedside. I really wept for fear, then prayed the "hours" so that I didn't need to see him. Then he went again back and forth and moaned horribly. Now it seems to me I must know him, however I cannot find out who it is. I have become very cowardly, for many times it is really a decision for me to go to my room in the evening. Yet ordinarily I am able to fall asleep very well.

June 24. He came back, seized me at my shoulder. I said: "Now tell me what you want and then don't come back."

No answer; he went again through the room a couple of times and then was gone. My rest however was completely destroyed. At six in the morning he came back. In daylight he even looks more horrific, makes a disgusting impression, belongs to the dirtiest category of ghosts who have already come. I said: "Don't disturb me, I want to prepare myself for holy Communion!" Then he drew very near to me and lifted his hands imploringly. I was so sorry for him that I promised him a lot. Then I said: "Can't you speak?" Whereupon he shook his head. "Do you have much to suffer?" Now he moaned terribly. I gave him much holy water" and then he was gone.

June 27. He was there again, in the night. Seems to know me; I racked my brains as to who he might be. He is very unsympathetic.?

June 29. He was again in the room when I went to bed. It could be the murdered shepherd Fritz. I asked him at once, but he didn't react. I prayed with him, during which he fixed his eyes on me so angrily that I was really frightened. I asked him to go and then he went indeed.

June 30. He came very briefly; his moaning waked me up.

July 1. Again, I really believe it is shepherd Fritz. However his face is so black that I have difficulty recognizing him. But figure, nose, and eyes are wholly "he," as I saw him so many times in life.

July 2. He came back, didn't look so terribly wild anymore and stayed not for a long time. I addressed him as "shepherd Fritz," which he apparently found quite natural.

July 3. He came very briefly. I asked: ''Are you the murdered shepherd Fritz?" Then he said distinctly: "Yes!"

July 4. He came to me in the morning, looked sadly at me and went away soon, answered nothing, too.

July 5. Now it struck me that everything about him is clearer. During prayer, he made the Sign of the Cross.

July 6. I am very happy for he can speak now. I asked him: "Why do you always come to me?" He: "Because you have always prayed for me." (That is right, for I had always been sorry for the poor fellow; he always looked so particular, even as a boy.) I: "Then what saved you?" He: "Insight and repentance." I: "Weren't you dead immediately?" He: "No." I: "Will you be released soon?" He: "Not by far." Then I gave him permission to continue coming to me, if it does him well. How remarkable it is, that someone who was so rude in life speaks like that when separated from his body. Now I am not frightened by him anymore, and would like to help him as best I can. How merciful is the good Lord!

July 8. He came very briefly.

July 9. He came at 6:00am and by doing so woke me up. Otherwise I had overslept. I: "Is it so important for you that I go to holy Mass?" He:"That way, you can help me a lot."

July 11. Only came very briefly.

July 12. We prayed together," then I: "Then what do you have to suffer?" He: "I am burning!" Then he came up to me and before I could defend myself, he pressed a finger on my hand. I was frightened so much and it hurt me so much, that I screamed. Now I have a red burn which I hope will heal soon. It is a very strange feeling, to have this visible mark from the other world.

July 24. Shepherd Fritz and the other one came two times in the night, all silent, but [the new one] not very pleasant.

July 29. Nothing special to mention. Now these two are coming every night. The new one looks horrible, while shepherd Fritz becomes ever more bright!!

August 10. Shepherd Fritz drew so near to me again, but looked very friendly. So I said to him, "Don't you have to suffer so much anymore?" He: "No." and I: "Can you pray for me yet?" He: "No." and I: "Where are you then all the time?" He: "In the forlornness." I: "Will you still come often to me?" He: "No." and I: "Why not?" He: "I am not allowed to any more!" and I: "Have I been able to help you?" He: "Yes." Then he was gone….

To close this remarkable account, Father Sebastian Wieser, Eugenie's parish priest and confessor, comments:

“The behavior of this apparition is like the echo of his earthly life. I have known shepherd Fritz well -he was like a "billygoat" in the parish. In him, the greatness of the mercy of God really manifests itself. Rarely did he come to church. He had an only son, who in school became well known for his meanness, falsehood, and deceptions and caused many troubles to his teachers and those in authority over him. When the boy had to be punished at school, the father pulled out all the stops of his indignation over the schoolmaster and priest. I prophesied at that time that someday the father himself would get a beating from this only son!

When this son was seventeen years old and was big and quite strong, he beat his father to death at around midnight .... Nobody knew if Fritz was dead immediately or if he came to for a moment. The latter seems to have been the case. The murderer had knocked him down in the hay-barn and abandoned him to his fate. Only in the morning was the dead man discovered ....On the sixth of July he states that: "…insight and repentance" have saved him from damnation! On the twelfth day of July he says, "I am burning!" and presses a finger on the hand of the princess, which leaves a red burn which I have seen myself.” –Father Sebastian Wieser

Another modern account: St Gemma Galgani obtains the relief of a soul in Purgatory

The final account in this article will go to the webmasters favorite Saint: St Gemma Galgani (1878-1903). It is taken from the excellent book “The Life of St Gemma Galgani” by Venerable Father Germanus Ruoppolo C.P.:

"Gemma knew by Divine inspiration that in the Convent of Passionist Nuns at Corneto [Italy] there was a Religious Sister very dear to God who was near death. She asked me about it, and on my answering that it was so, she at once began to implore of Jesus to make that particular Religious expiate all her faults on her deathbed, so that breathing her last she might enter Paradise at once. Her prayer, at least in part, was heard. The Sister suffered greatly and died in a few months. Gemma told those in her home of it in order that they might pray for the deceased, and she gave her name, Maria Teresa of the Infant Jesus, as she was not known in Lucca. After her death, this soul appeared to her full of sorrow, imploring her help as she was undergoing great torments in Purgatory for certain defects.

Nothing more was needed to set all the fibers of Gemma's heart in motion. From that moment she gave herself no rest: she fervently offered prayers, tears and loving petitions to Our Lord.

"Jesus, save her," she was overheard to exclaim. "Jesus, take Maria Teresa to Paradise without delay. She is a soul that is most dear to Thee. Let me suffer much for her; I want her to be in heaven."

And during this time Gemma writes the following in her Diary:

"It was around 9:30 and I was reading; all of a sudden I am shaken by a hand resting gently on my left shoulder. I turn in fright; I was afraid and tried to call out, but I was held back. I turned and saw a person dressed in white; I recognized it was a woman; I looked and her expression assured me I had nothing to fear: "Gemma," she said after some moments, "do you know me?" I said no, because that was the truth; she responded: "I am Mother Maria Teresa of the Infant Jesus: I thank you so very much for the great concern you have shown me because soon I shall be able to attain my eternal happiness."

﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿

The extraordinary mystic, St Gemma Galgani

All this happened while I was awake and fully aware of myself. Then she added: "Continue still, because I still have a few days of suffering." And in so saying she caressed me and then went away. Her countenance, I must say, inspired much confidence in me. From that hour I redoubled my prayers for her soul, so that soon she should reach her objective; but my prayers are too weak; how I wish that for the souls in Purgatory my prayers should have the strength of the saints'."

And the dear victim of expiation suffered without ceasing for sixteen days, at the end of which God was pleased to accept her sacrifice and to release that soul. This is how Gemma herself told me of it:

“Toward half-past one it seemed to me that the Blessed Mother herself came to tell me that the holy hour I was making was drawing to an end. Then almost immediately I thought I saw Sr. Maria Teresa coming toward me clad as a Passionist, accompanied by her Guardian Angel and by Jesus. Oh, how she was changed since the day I first saw her! Smiling, she drew close to me and said: "I am truly happy, and I go to enjoy my Jesus forever." She thanked me again. Then she made sign of bidding me good-bye with her hand, several times, and with Jesus and her Guardian Angel she flew to Heaven. It was about half-past two o'clock in the morning.”

In closing, I would like to bring forth one final comment concerning where it is has been revealed by at least one mystic that the souls in the lowest level of Purgatory are not allowed to receive any benefit from prayers and offerings made to them by people here on earth. While it may very well be that the souls in the lowest part of purgatory do not receive any relief from our prayer until they reach the next highest level, but that is not to say that they do not receive any benefit. While it is believed that for all souls in purgatory, except for the ones in the lowest level, when we pray for them they receive a two-fold grace--firstly, they receive a lessening of some of their time they were assigned to be in purgatory (kind of like lessening the sentence of a prisoner here on earth) and then too they also receive a certain relief from the pain of the purification that they are experiencing (kind of like giving a glass of water to someone who is very thirsty). So allegedly according to at least one mystic, the souls in the lowest level of purgatory do not receive the second grace I just mentioned, only the first. But once they elevate to the next higher region of purgatory, they would receive both graces from our prayers.

167 comments:

Anonymous
said...

My heart burns with a desire to relieve these souls who suffer; I pray He gives me the means for which I have so long desired, to gain the grace these souls need by the will of God. When we see a fire truck or ambulance go by or hear of someone's death we should always say,"O lord be merciful, forgive them their sins and bring them home to You in your great mercy."

Hi Anonymous,Thanks for your question. While researching during the preparation of this article I came across a comment of Sister M. de L.C. from the "Unpublished Manuscript on Purgatory" wherein she stated that there were in fact a good number of Protestants in Purgatory, just as there were a large number of Catholics, and we can presume that there are peoples of all religions, and also atheists, agnostics etc, --all according to the infinite mercy and justice of God. Although she did point out that in many ways such persons purgatory can be more rigorous since during their lifetime they did not receive the sacramental graces of the Church.

Concerning this we can call to mind what Jesus said to the Jewish leaders: “Amen, I say to you, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you.” (Matt 21:31)

I am a recent convert to the faith, through RCIA at the Easter Vigil. Purgatory has always fascinated me, and I like the idea of growing more pure after leaving the body.

My wife died in 2010, and I have had a monthly Mass said for her at a nunnery where her Aunt is, as well as other Masses on her birthday and the day she died. I hope that these help and comfort her.

But I wonder about myself, and others, who will pass without anyone to request Masses be read for them. Also, from a practical manner, I have generally heard Mass intentions for one person, or a married couple... If there are billions of souls in Purgatory, don't we "run out of Masses"?

Thank you and God Bless you for giving us this article on Purgatory as it seems to be unheard of in our Churches anymore; another work of the devil to keep Purgatory undercover. It is so important for us to pray and have Masses said for those that have left us, and it is also very important that we have Masses said for us while we are still living. We have just lost two very well known men, Chuck Colson and Tom Kincaid, and I see far too many comments that they are now with the Lord, a fact that none of us really know, which means that these people are not getting prayers said for their souls. +JMJ+

Thank you for this article. It brings to mind a question - I am a laywoman and for years I have offered daily Mass for the souls in Purgatory, but have not asked a Priest to offer the Mass for the souls. Is that as efficacious?

Dale -- I have the same problem as you, worrying that there would be no one to offer Masses for me when I die. So, what I have done is prepaid Gregorian masses for myself through the Franciscans. Gregorian Masses are 30 masses said for 30 days straight. I have had them said for my deceased husband and for my parents. I have prepaid them for myself and they sent me a card that I have placed with my Will that my executor will send to them when I die and my masses will be said. If you want more info go to www.franciscanmissions.org. Rosanna

Like Rosanna kindly replied you can definitely prepay for masses. In fact, you can normally do this as part of your will and the masses can be said at your own parish--my grandmother had it in her will that a certain sum was set aside to be paid for masses for herself at her death to be said at her (our) local parish, and they were said one every couple of months (mostly weekday masses) for 5 years after her death.

As far as "running out of Masses", without a doubt there are many souls in Purgatory who have never had a Mass said for them. However, the Church in Her great wisdom and benevolence has a special day in honor of All Souls (Novemeber 2), where all the Masses said throughout the world on that day are for the poor souls in Purgatory.

Additionally, many people often have masses said on their own for all the souls in Purgatory--in fact, the mass this morning at my own parish Church was precisely for this intention!

Hi Karen,You said: "Thank you for this article. It brings to mind a question - I am a laywoman and for years I have offered daily Mass for the souls in Purgatory, but have not asked a Priest to offer the Mass for the souls. Is that as efficacious?"-----------------My understanding is that the sacrifice of the offering (that is, the Mass stipend ie.-donation) is what formally makes the intention for the Mass. By doing so there is a concrete action of giving and sacrificing. So this intention and offering obviously would have the most value.

HOWEVER, the Church does encourage all the faithful present to offer the Mass for their own personal intentions also, and even moreso to receive holy Communion for this intention also. So yes, the souls in Purgatory surely benefit from your private intention of offering the Mass for them, even though the Mass is not formally being aid for this intention.

Thank you so much for the replies, Rosanna and Glenn! I am going to call the Parish office on Monday and find out about offering a periodic Mass for all souls in Purgatory. As well, I'll talk to my attorney about amending my Will to include offerings for Masses, and check out the Fransiscan option.. Though if the pious French woman needed 250 Masses said, I'd better plan on a lot for me!

Thank you also for the "Welcome Home" -- for many years, those had been Patti and my favorite words, because we both travelled a lot... but I have learned through RCIA how REALLY great those words are!

Glenn, terrific article. Can an ordinary lay person offer up prayers and ask God, through his son Jesus Christ, that souls be released? If you have absolute Faith that this is so, is it still efficacious?

You can gain a Plenary Indulgence (complete remission of the punishment due to sin) a soul in purgatory (or for yourself) EACH DAY by saying the rosary for that intention, with the usual three conditions: 1) Confession within 20 days (this has been changed from the previous 8 days - see http://www.ewtn.com/expert/answers/indulgences_conditions.htm ), 2)communion on the same day, 3) prayers for the intentions of the Holy Father ("an Our Father and a Hail Mary suffice.")

For myself, I have started to make what I think of as "Confession Plus," where I say the rosary for the Plenary Indulgence for myself after each confession. Then, on other days, I say it for a soul in purgatory.

Here, from the Enchiridion of Indulgences, from http://www.catholic.org/clife/prayers/indulgw.php , are the conditions for the "Rosary Indulgence:"

48.RECITATION OF THE MARIAN ROSARY. (The following is verbatim.) "A PLENARY INDULGENCE is granted, if the Rosary is recited IN A CHURCH OR PUBLIC ORATORY OR IN A FAMILY GROUP, A RELIGIOUS COMMUNITY OR PIOUS ASSOCIATION; a partial indulgence is granted in other circumstances. "Now the Rosary is a certain formula of prayer, which is made up of fifteen decades of 'Hail Marys' with an 'Our Father' before each decade, and in which the recitation of each decade is accompanied by pious meditation on a particular mystery of our Redemption. "The name 'Rosary,' however, is commonly used in reference to only a third of the fifteen decades. "The gaining of the plenary indulgence is regulated by the following norms: " A.The recitation of a third part only of the Rosary suffices; but the five decades must be recited continuously. "

B.The vocal recitation MUST be accompanied by pious meditation on the mysteries. "

C.In public recitation the mysteries must be announced in the manner customary in the place; for private recitation, however, it suffices if the vocal recitation is accompanied by meditation on the mysteries. "

D.For those belonging to the Oriental rites, amongst whom this devotion is not practiced, the Patriarchs can determine some other prayers in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary (for those of the Byzantine rite, for example, the Hymn 'Akathistos' or the Office 'Paraclisis'); to the prayers thus determined are accorded the same indulgences as for the Rosary."

There is also a Plenary Indulgence for the Stations of the cross (see the above website), but the rosary is more likely to be said. Note that the Rosary Plenary Indulgence can by gained by saying it "IN A FAMILY GROUP!"

These spiritual riches are just "laying on the table," with no one "picking them up!" I am reminded at what Mary said at the Rue de Bac to St. Catherine Labouré about the rings she wore from which no beasms of light were coming (as they were from other rings): "The rings which have no light coming from them represent graces for which no one asks." TIME TO START ASKING!!!!!

"we can presume that there are peoples of all religions, and also atheists, agnostics etc" - no this is not correct. You are saying that there is universal salvation. There is not - many are called, but few are chosen. This is a heresy that is being taught. “Outside the Church there is no salvation” (extra ecclesiam nulla salus) is a doctrine of the Catholic Faith that was taught By Jesus Christ to His Apostles, preached by the Fathers, defined by popes and councils-"There is but one universal Church of the faithful, outside which no one at all is saved.” (Pope Innocent III, Fourth Lateran Council, 1215

I am a fervent believer in trying to gain a Plenary Indulgence for souls in Purgatory at each Holy Mass. Last year I asked our dear Lord to free my mother-in-law (non-Catholic, troubled woman in life but who thankfully had done kind deeds for people) - since it troubled me that she still might not be free, I dared to ask for a sign - a communication (either a phone call or a letter for my husband from one of his sisters (they never contact him!) - to relieve me. I made the Plenary Indulgence on the Saturday morning and then forgot all about it. Later on in the day my husband and I were walking the dog and we spoke of his mother. He had had a very difficult relationship with her and we said how sad her life had been.When we returned from the walk my husband went to fetch the mail - he had received a letter from his sister in Australia - he hadn't had a letter from her in 30 years!Thanks be to God in His infinite mercy. I now believe her to be in heaven.

A Catholic 'universal' Church that cannot allow 'universal salvation'. Now there's a paradox if ever there was one. Jesus talks about being known by their fruits. You'd think with all these devout Catholics getting so many special graces 'inside' the Church - the Church would be populated with near other Christs. Another enigma.

Love casts out fear, yet we're being driven to Heaven through fear ?

Approach the throne of grace with great confidence. St Paul.

Therese of Lisieux understood this. She also spoke about God giving her very great - perhaps 'infinite' desires, and said that He would not inspire such desire in a soul if the same God did now allow that such desires be fulfilled. If desired with confidence in Him - with real faith.

The Mass supposedly offers infinite merit. One Mass.

If we believe those infinite merits of one Mass offered can benefit, by God's infinite Love - finite numbers of souls, all souls that ever were, are and will be - then approach the throne of infinite grace with such desire, longing - faith; and don't doubt God will respond in kind.

We won't get to Heaven walking backwards out of Hell. Love casts out fear. There is no fear in Love. Even some of these stories seem to suggest such. Souls don't get to Heaven straight away for lack of confidence.

For those who worry about not having Mass offered when you depart this life. I'll have one offered for you.

I believe when we pray, we can pray for those in the past and the future. As all are present at the Cross of Christ - so we being present with all at that gateway to eternity can pray for all - past, present and future.

Approach the Throne of Grace with confidence.

Love alone counts. St Therese.

Faith, Hope and Love. And the greatest of these is LOVE. And perfect LOVE cast out fear.

Prayer of St. Gertrude the Great"Eternal Father, I offer Thee the most Precious Blood of Jesus, with all the Masses being said all over the world this day, for the Souls in Purgatory."Our Lord showed St. Gertrude a vast number of souls leaving Purgatory and going to Heaven as a result of this prayer, which the Saint was accustomed to say frequently during the day.

St. Gertrude's life was the mystic life of the Cloister – a Benedictine nun. She meditated on the Passion of Christ, which many times brought a flood of tears to her eyes. She did many penances and Our Lord appeared to her many times. She had a tender love for the Blessed Virgin and was very devoted to the suffering souls in Purgatory. She died in 1334. Her feast day is November 16th.

Go and read this site and enter all the souls you want. It is also for the living, so you can register yourself, your family and friends.

The Purgatory Project exists to aid the souls in purgatory. Anyone can register the names of people who have died. Registering them here will help them. It is not hard to help these souls, it costs you no money and it is a very good and important thing to do.

The prayer of St Gertrude. So nice.I recite that prayer every time at mass during the Consecration.I come back on a previous comment saying that "Outside the Church there is no Salvation" and therefore many are called but few are saved.I agree with that comment but mainly because it is taught by our Holy Mother the RCC. Indeed we cannot by ourselves go against that Magisterium's teaching, otherwise that would be a blatant heresy. Anyways the Magisterium doesn't forbid any catholic faithful to believe that God's Mercy is far greater than we think: If God the Father in His unfathomable Wisdom is able to shape His children from stones if he needs so, far more is He able to lead these chidren to Eternal Salvation even if those don't know Him nor His Son Jesus.But I have to add: That's not our problem, but only God's business. Those who say aloud that everybody is saved whichever is one's religion are truly heretic and uncharitable to their non-believing brothers since they lead these brothers astray from the only Way to Salvation and even encourage them in staying igorant about the true Faith and in keeping worshipping false gods which is an abomination in His eyes.Much will be asked by God from such heretics.

A wonderful way to relieve the sufferings of the souls in purgatory is to pray the Stations of the Cross for them. Next to the Mass it is the most indulgenced prayed and very efficacious. How efficacious? I obtained my husband’s conversion through their intercession. They somehow made known to me how grateful they were for my prayers for them. All I can say is that I had a multitude of souls hover over my head who said thank you and then departed. The experience was unbelievable and lasted but a few seconds.

Isn't every human being 'invincibly ignorant' to a large degree about God ? Other than Christ - what human being knows the infinite God ? Not just invincibly ignorant - but near infinitely so.

As to all being saved or not. I have no idea. But I do know the Scriptures state clearly that God DESIRES ALL men be saved.

Are we being told, taught that Satan's power/desire to ruin is greater than God's Love - desire to save ?

I'd like to have enough charity, understand charity to the degree I could in all knowledge of it, in all confidence say to someone else, believe as I do, practice the faith as I do or you are going straight to hell.

Something I've been taught ... is that the prayers offered during the Consecration are the most powerful of any prayers you can say. Therefore, if you offer up the two parts of Consecrations for souls they will be more efficacious than any other prayer (excepting offering up your communion).

So something I do on a regular basis, is when the priest offers up the Precious Blood and speaks the words of Consecration, I will offer that for any Holy Souls in Purgatory He'd like to apply that to.

If you go to Daily Mass, and you offer up each Consecration and your Communion for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, you might be surprised on how many souls might greet you when you die. =)

If I can find all the different word for word references on these practices, I will try and repost them on this blog, so we can spread the word.

Part of me has wondered what would happen if each of us prayed specifically for the Souls of our Ancestors and then in return asked them upon reaching heaven to pray for ALL of their descendants .... how many more souls walking the earth today, might be more receptive to the Gospel; ....more committed to their own personal conversions; ...more docile to the Holy Spirit. Maybe we'd start to see more of those miracles that we need in these encroaching dark times.

"How many souls are being released from purgatory during the holy mass! Those for whom the mass is offered don't suffer, the time of their repentance is hastened, and they immediately go to heaven, because holy mass is the key which unlocks two doors--the door through which you enter purgatory, and the door to heaven through which you enter into eternity." St. Geralmo

The mass cannot possibly be both bloodless and the offering of blood at one and the same time. It can only be one or the other.

If it is bloodless, then its effect is described as follows: "And according to the law almost all things are purifird with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission. Hebrews 9:22 If the mass is bloodless, then it has no efficacy.

If it is an offering of blood, this presents a twofold consideration:

a) a continuous or ongoing offering is evidence that there is no remission of sin, since there is no perfect sacrifice in view. This prevailed under the animal sacrifice code until Christ came, at which time: "Their sins ...I will remember no more. Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin.

b) if the mass is an offering of the blood of Christ, then it diminishes the perceived value of His once for all offering; as beautiful as it may be, it constitutes a denial of the fullness and perfection of Christ's once for all sacrifice and which can never be re-offered.

The priests always stood as the work was never done. When Christ had offered Himself, He sat down. "It is finished."

"And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifies which can never take away sins.

"But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God...For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified." Hebrews 10:11, 12, 14 Both the sacrifice of His death on Calvary and the offering or presentation of it to the Father are described as once.

He can neither die again nor can his sacrifice be offered or re-presented again.

"Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands,...but into heaven itself."

"not that He should offer Himself often...He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world, but now once at the end of the ages, He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. Hebrews 9:24- 26

The Mass IS Calvary. One is not required to understand the theological depths of the Mystery to believe in its Truth. Jesus IS the "Bread of Life" and without receiving Him worthily in the Most Blessed Sacrament, "you have no Life within you!". "Apart from Me you can do nothing." To reject the Mass is to reject the Lord and to receive without faith is a worse sin yet. I am not here to MAKE you believe but to proclaim the Truth and remind you: when you wantonly serve this LIE you are fighting against the Truth, against GOD. Do you know what fruit you bear?

What is the point of praying for dead persons if not to only feed your own greed to be wisked straight to heaven and save your self the pain. Such greed will only prolong your time there maby even indefinitely.

Thank you so much this article is very informative this will help me to know more about for the souls in purgatory ,we have a community here in Davao PWHS (Prayer Warriors of the Holy Souls) we are under the umbrella of PWHS in Manila under Chit Monfort.Our prayers and masses are great help to empty purgatory let us all unite in this community for the holy souls.God bless.

Unlike the Old Testament sacrifices which could never take away sin, the perfect sacrifice of Christ is exactly that, perfect and which carries the force of complete.

Official Catholic teaching affirms a distinction between the actual occurrence on Calvary and the mass which purports to represent or re-offer it. They at least recognize that Calvary itself cannot be repeated.

Apparently we may have to agree to disagree. But you are right that one position is false - and which I do appreciate. Your concern that I reject the Lord is commendable. I also have the identical concern for you because you accept as the Lord that which is not Him.

It is good at least to know what one believes. Some people believe that everything is true and in which case, nothing would be true and discussion pointless. It would be like saying that "nothing is true..." and which self contradicts since it is put forward as true and therefore a denial of its central premise.

At least there are clear alternatives in view here. The mass is either a repetition of Calvary, or, with all due respect to sincerity and good faith, it is idolatry, as are other things the faithful are encouraged to pursue.

This section of the site is devoted to purgatory on the apparent understanding that Christ's death does not cover all and that the average faithful may expect to find him/herself there. I would say that only the saints will be in heaven with the rest in hell. So one may ask oneself: Am I a saint? Purgatory is an admission that the Church offers no clear knowable assurance of ultimate entrance to heaven.

Salvation is to be found in commitment to Jesus Christ, not in a church, not yours, not mine. He is the door to the church not vice versa. It is true that some apostles thought they had a monopoly but Jesus rebuked them for thinking and acting so.

Is my church perfect? No it is not, nor would anyone in it say so. A Church that claims absolute perfection of ex cathedra teaching needs only one provable exception to disprove the claim as is the case with all propositions based on always and never.

But that could only be discussed where both parties agreed on what level of evidence constituted proof.

Maybe this is too long for this forum. By the way, I have read Scott Hahn's book also titles by Karl Keating and Stephen Ray -also articles by Patrick Madrid and others- all very well and honestly written - so I have a degree of familiarity.

Very nice accounts that I recommend everyone to read.In fact it is a duty that our Holy Mother the Church entrusted us many centuries ago to read the lives of the saints because here we may find a number of graces that we couldn't get otherwise.By these accounts we may find the true desire of God, the true desire to go to Heavens to dwell here with His Son the Christ.But there is one thing currentlylacking: The fear of Hell. The 3 kids of Fatima were confirmed by our Lady that HELL EXISTS AND THERE ARE DAMNED PEOPLE IN IT.

Many saints like St Catherine of Genoa, St Françoise Romaine were given the grace to visit Hell and Purgatory.I am apalled how many modernist faithfuls strongly denie the existence of Hell and even doubt that of the Purgatory because they say that God's love cannot make any among of his children to suffer.That is because they are forgetting that God is Love, yes. But GOD IS JUSTICE.Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross was once and for all for our salvation through God's love. But the sins we didn't atone enough on Earth should be atoned in Purgatory, so far as we begged Him to forgive us and repented before dying.

A place between heavin and hell its Earth it would make allot of sense think about it we all pass on wen we are able to find our souls in a good place that's why weeall check out different times in our lives the young die early because they figure it out allot sooner then others and when www go tho a funeral its a celebration of ones life here on earth and good gives us allot Pitts time all the time www need to figure it out before our bodies get to old tho sustain life anymore shoo actually the longer wee stay here the greater our chances are were going to hell when we expire off earth only the good die young might be the truth after all because look at life here on earth every ones loOking and trying too achieve the same things that would be happiness love respect and the great lengths we go tho achieve these things determines weather we go up or down and when Good sees when each individual makes Goods criteria he takes them home and Good give as much time as you need till u old as you can get and some people who will never make it just desire of ripe old ages i don't know something to think about

Purgatory must truly exist, when a Soul first appears before the judgement throne of God, there it willsee as if a video of it's entire life span on earthand that soul will know that it is unable to seeGod face to face in the Beatific Vision because of an earthly life of sin and imperfection that it wouldnot be able to withstand such Perfection becauseof such sin and imperfection that must be expiated.

I would like to point out two things to people that believe only a Catholic can enter heaven. 1. The Bible says that Jesus is the Way and the Life, the Road to Salvation. Who are we to say that Jesus and God have not prepared one,or numerous ways, for non-Catholics to enter heaven through Him after their time on earth. With Jesus and God, all things are possible. And many things possible that we can not even think of. 2. In the sojourns into Purgatory by numerous Catholic visionaries, such as Anne-Catherine Emmerich, many non-Catholics are in Purgatory. Do not limit God, for He is limitless.

I culled this beautiful prayer from the Internet, which was itself drawn from the Byzantine Divine Liturgy, and changed a few wordings. We are told this prayer reminds us that Christ's victory over death brings to all of us the possibility of eternal rest. And so we pray for all of those who have gone before us, even if we do not know them and even if they are so far removed from our day, that they too may enter into Heaven:

"BY YOUR RESURRECTION from the dead, O Christ, death no longer has dominion over those who have died. So, we beseech You, give rest to your servants who have departed this life. Grant it to those who, from Adam until now, have adored you or have searched for you in the depths of their hearts, to our fathers and mothers, to our kinsmen and friends, to all men and women who have passed their road to You, by a thousand ways, in all conditions and ages, forgive their transgressions and, by the sufferings you have endured for our sake, make them all worthy to enter your heavenly kingdom. Amen"

I also want to share this prayer which I made and recite specifically for all those who died in miserable circumstances:

"O FATHER GOD, hear your suffering children, especially the cries of those who died in miserable circumstances. We pray for those who died in war, those who died by deliberate or accidental violence. We pray for those who died feeling unloved, betrayed or bitter; for those who died by their own hand, feeling overwhelmed by too many problems; we pray for all those who died thinking that there is no God who knew and cared for them. We pray for those who had remained in debasing poverty until their death; for those who died only after a long and painful sickness. We pray for those who died away from home; for those who died having no one to care for them; for those who died in lonely isolation; for those who died consumed by hatred or unforgiveness; we pray for those who died with a rage in their hearts, which questioned your very existence.

"We pray for each and all of them, O God. May your mercy be upon them. May you give them the joy that eluded them in life. May Eternal Light shine upon them, and may they rest in Your peace. Amen."

thank you so much for sharing prayers for the dead. I am a new Catholic and feel strongly called to pray for the dead, but did not know how to do so. There are many, many new Catholics who need basic help like this.

Also, when I was in rcia, the nun who taught it didn't believe in confession and didn't teach it to candidates. she felt that we should be able to confess our sins to anyone at all, not jut a priest. now I feel almost tongue-tied and unable to confess because i don't really feel confident about it--and also many priests treat confession as a useless relic of times long past. please pray for me, friends, that Jesus will help me find a confessor soon. thank you.

a) Isn't it greedy to say prayers for dead people because you actually only want to go to heaven?

My personal answer : NO. NO. NO. Personally I long to go to heaven because my Lord and my King is there and my heart yearns to be with Him. And I feel pity for those in purgatory who are not allowed to be in His Presence. I believe that they, more than me, feel the pain of separation. This pain is all-encompassing and heartbreaking for me (to the point of being unable to sleep sometimes). If they in purgatory can feel it more keenly than me, then I truly pity them and I want them to be free of this pain.

And so I pray for their release.

If you have brothers and sisters caged in torment, wouldn't you do everything you could to free them?

And if you're thinking whether or not I am crazy... I am thinking why you aren't feeling the same. WHY?

b) How can purgatory exist when God is Love?This has been answered in some of the other comments.

In simple words, God is Love, Mercy and Justice. He is a very fair God. He loves us unconditionally and expects us to do the same. But do we?? Therefore, there is expiation. Besides, dare any one of us say we are sinless? And if we have even the slightest stain of sin, how can we enter Heaven?

"Aren't there any cases of Protestants in purgatory? Maybe they don't go there because they don't believe in it?"

As Glen said, the revelations from 'An Unpublished Manuscript on Purgatory' confirm this. Also, as someone else said, Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerich's revelations support this. (I would like to know which other mystics speak of non-Catholics in Purgatory, as these are all I know of).

I thought I would share some relevant words from 'The Life and Revelations of Anne Catherine Emmerich':

“I was present when God passed sentence on notorious sinners. Great is His justice, but still more inconceivable is His mercy. He damns only those who are determined not to be converted; they who have a spark of good will are saved... I have seen in Purgatory Protestants who were pious in their ignorance; they are very desolate, for no prayers are offered for them... I saw that by our prayer and suffering, many a soul who labours not during life, can be converted and saved at the hour of death.”

It is important for us to remember the Church's doctrine: they are saved who die in a state of grace. Who knows how many accept God in their final moments e.g. through an act of perfect contrition.

The Church's teaching about "no salvation outside the Church" is often misunderstood. Pope Pius IX and others have confirmed that those who labour in invincible ignorance (which only God can determine) can be saved (this can be inferred from The Council of Trent's teachings on justification). How is this possible if they are not Catholic? We are not told how this is the case, just as we are not told exactly how predestination works. What we do know is that all those who die in a state of grace (which is offered to all by means of an act of perfect contrition) are mystically united to the Church, which is One. Therefore, they are part of the Church.

Read this (from 'The Catechism Explained', 1899):

If, however, a man, through no fault of his own, remains outside the Church, he may be saved if he lead a God-fearing life; for such a one is to all intents and purposes a member of the Catholic Church. The majority of men who have been brought up in heresy think that they belong to the true Church; their error is not due to hatred of God. A man who leads a good life and has the love of God in his heart, really belongs to the Church, and such a one is saved, not by his heresy, but by belonging to the Church. St. Peter said: "In every nation he that feareth God and worketh justice is acceptable to Him" (Acts x. 35). "The Catholic Church," says St. Gregory the Great, "embraces all the just from Abel to the last of the elect at the end of the world." All who lived up to their lights were Christians, though they might have been looked upon as godless, as, e.g., Socrates among the Greeks, Abraham and Elias among the Jews. They do not belong to the body of the Church, that is, they are not externally in union with the Church, but they are of the soul of the Church, i.e., they have the sentiments which the members of the Church should have. Thus the Catholic Church has members both visible and invisible. The visible members are those who have been received into the Church by Baptism... The invisible members are those who without any fault of their own are outside the Church leading- God-fearing lives. (p. 246-247)

Fr. William Most has written well in his article about how a pagan can be saved if he sins mortally. This article can be found on EWTN.

I want to share with you some good news. The Bible is God's word and gives you direction on how you get to Heaven. You can be 100% sure that when you die you will go to Heaven. You do not need to fear death.You don't have to worry about someone praying you out of purgatory or attaining salvation through works. If you are serious about knowing the truth and learning about God through his Word not religion, please check out the many resources at AreYouSavedNow.com

O MY GOD! for Thy greater glory, and to imitate as closely as possible the generous Heart of Jesus, my Redeemer, and also to testify my devotion to the Blessed Virgin, my Mother, who is also the Mother of the Souls in Purgatory, I place in her hands all my satisfactory works, as well as the fruit of all those which may be offered for my intention after my death, that she may apply them to the Souls in Purgatory according to her wisdom and good pleasure. Amen.

This Heroic Act of Charity is the completely unselfish offering to God of all the satisfactory value of one's prayers and good works --- plus the value of any that might be offered for one after one's death --- for the benefit of the Souls in Purgatory, rather than for oneself. The "satisfactory value" of a good work is its value with regard to making up for our sins and reducing our stay in Purgatory. However, the "meritorious value" of our good works is inalienable, i.e., our merits, which give us a right to an increase of glory in Heaven, cannot be applied to anyone else. Moreover, a person who has made the Heroic Act may still pray for himself, friends and other intentions.

The Heroic Act is revocable at will and is not a vow. Its actual ratification depends on the will of God. By making this act with purity of intention, one is relying upon the mercy of God and the prayers of the Communion of Saints to assist his soul after death. The Heroic Act was approved and encouraged by Pope Benedict XIII [1724-1730].

Beautiful post! Still...I think it's helpful for people to keep in mind the dogma that there is no salvation outside the Catholic Church. There is, of course, the plausibility of invincible ignorance of the Catholic Church. However, VERY few people could boast that. I would recommend reading the words of the Popes, Church councils, and saints on this subject.

Are the souls in Purgatory at a higher level than guardian angels? Though in Purgatory, we are spirits that have been saved and need additional purification. Guardian angels are higher only than the corporal humans.

I think there is a misunderstanding here of the words, outside the church there is no salvation. It does not mean that if you are not catholic you can not be saved. It only means that their salvation even if they do not share our faith will still be through the prayers and sacrifices of the catholic church, the bride of Christ. This is the reason why the church is not only praying for the catholic souls but also to all the souls of the faithful departed and the souls of men/women of good will. Outside the church they cannot go to heaven because it is through the power given to the church by Jesus that they will be loosed from purgatory.

I think there is a misunderstanding here of the words, outside the church there is no salvation. It does not mean that if you are not catholic you can not be saved. It only means that their salvation even if they do not share our faith will still be through the prayers and sacrifices of the catholic church, the bride of Christ. This is the reason why the church is not only praying and offering masses for the catholic souls but also to all the souls of the faithful departed and the souls of men/women of good will. Outside the church they cannot go to heaven because it is through the power given to the church by Jesus that they will be loosed from purgatory.

I don't know if I missed it, but this is a good place to mention the prayer given by Jesus to St. Gertrude the Great, which, when said, releases a thousand souls from Purgatory: "Eternal Father, I offer Thee the most Precious Blood of thy Divine Son Jesus,in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the Universal church, those in my own home and within my family." I had this prayer printed on my Dad's prayer card at his funeral..

If a soul receives no benefit from our prayers while they are in the lowest part of purgatory - what would then be the point of praying for them? This disturbs me because we don't know when or if they will ever benefit from sacrifices made for them. It would seem to me that would be the place they would be most of need of prayers, yet God withholds those benefits from them while they are there. Should I pray for my daughter anyway not knowing if she receives the benefit?

No prayer is ever wasted...if it cannot go to an intended soul, it will go to another. We as part of the Church Militant need only trust in the Lord and offer Him all our help. Your daughter's soul will be going through what it needs most ...have faith!

What seems to be a very appropriate conclusion to an email series I sent out last fall on the St. Gertrude Prayer seems figuratively to have dropped in my lap. Suddenly, surprisingly, exactly how I still haven't discerned, there on my Smartphone's browser was the home page display of Joseph Moloney's post on Purgatory.

Since the St. Gertrude Prayer is all about releasing souls from Purgatory, and our own underestimation or forgetfulness of Purgatory's pains and duration tends to be chronic for most of us Catholics, presenting Mr. Maloney's post provides welcome reminders, both to pray as frequently as possible for the Poor Souls, and to clean up our own acts so as to have to spend little or no time in Purgatory on our final road to Heaven.

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Purgatory

An explanation and defense on how it is a vital part of God’s plan for mercy.

Joseph Moloney

1.1 What is purgatory?

"condition of souls which, at the moment of death, are in the state of grace, but which have not completely made reparation for their sins, nor attained the level of holiness necessary to enter heaven."

Free will and the road to Heaven, Hell or Purgatory

All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven” [Catechism of the Catholic Church, para 1030].

What is a state of grace? Mortal vs. venial sin.

Purgatory is a good place!

Not exactly Heaven, definitely not hell, but is akin to the gate to Heaven.

1.2 What is purgatory?

Through confession, Jesus removes the nails of sin.

Purgatory is our opportunity to “fix broken windows”.

St. Clement of Alexandria says that by punishment after death men must expiate every least sin before they can enter heaven.

Purgatory is where we work out the "consequences" of our sin that have not been paid during our lifetime.

1.3 What is purgatory?

Purgatory is a reminder to us that we are not free to do any evil we like in this life and then just repent when we die and go straight to heaven.

Although God does not want to send anyone to Purgatory His Justice demands it.

Some comments above mention the use of indulgences to relieve the suffering souls. This comment excerpts (with link) an internet post seemingly giving all the rules of the traditional powerful method that the Roman Catholic Church offers--gaining a plenary indulgence either (1) to remit all our own punishment due to sin up till the current moment or (2) to request such remission of Our Lord for a deceased soul in Purgatory.

The Handbook of Indulgences* states that a plenary indulgence is granted to the faithful who perform the works listed below. This means the full remission of all temporal punishment (time spent in purgatory) due to sin in one's entire lifetime up to that point. Plenary indulgences can also be requested of Our Lord for the deceased.

There are additional conditions that must be met for the acquiring of a plenary indulgence: 1) that the person truly repudiate and be sorry for all sin, mortal and venial; 2) reception of Holy Communion on the day the indulgence is sought; 3) Sacrament of Penance several days (not specified how many) before or after the indulgence is sought; 4) prayer (which can in the form of an Our Father and a Hail Mary) for the intentions of the pope on the day the indulgence is sought.

Only one plenary indulgence per day can be obtained (unless it is the hour of death—see indulgence number 28). Several plenary indulgences may be gained on the basis of a single sacramental confession; only one may be gained, however, on the basis of a single Holy Communion and prayer for the pope’s intentions.

Here are the 29 plenary indulgence works (out of a total of 70 indulgences, including partial ones) in the Handbook of Indulgences (indulgence numbers are in parentheses) [This comment excerpts the four works that may pretty clearly be done on any day of the year]:

Plenary Indulgence Works

(1) Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament for ½ hour or more (3)

(2) Read sacred scripture for at least ½ hour. (50)

(3) Recite the rosary (15 decades, or 5 decades without interruption and add devout meditation on the mysteries) in a church, oratory or recite in a family, religious community or pious association. (48)

(4) Devoutly make the Stations of the Cross (see the 7 norms on page 88). (63)

-----* The Handbook of Indulgences (see http://buy-books-and-more.webs.com/) explains the Church's teaching on the subject of partial and plenary indulgences and informs the reader of devotional practices the Church most highly values (rosary, adoration, stations of the cross, various prayers, etc.).

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You can access the full post directly via

[Link for this post]http://plenary-indulgences.webs.com/

To receive an MS Word .doc-file version of the full post, please email me at steve_engel88@hotmail.com and I will email you the file.

Our Lord told St. Gertrude that the following prayer would release 1,000 souls from purgatory each time it is said. The prayer was extended to include living sinners, which would alleviate the temporal punishment accrued to them during their lives.

"Eternal Father, I offer Thee the most precious blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy souls in purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen."

It was subsequently revealed that if the above prayer is recited at the time of the Consecration during Holy Mass, the limit of 1,000 holy souls released from purgatory would be lifted and countless additional souls would be released as well.

Our Lord also told St. Gertrude the Great that each time we look at The Most Blessed Sacrament our place in heaven is raised forever. Further, each time one person receives Holy Communion something good happens to every being in heaven, on earth and in purgatory.

And still another promise of Christ to St. Gertrude, and an extraordinary incentive to attend daily Mass:--For each Mass we hear with devotion during our lifetime, Our Lord will send a saint to comfort us at our death.

(From an anonymous Holy Card; no source information at all--therefore, I, and I hope you, feel quite free to distribute without breaking or compromising any law.)

Two Points of Interest

1. The Catholic Church has granted permission to recite the prayer by officially granting the "Nihil Obstat" and "Imprimatur".

This does not guarantee the authenticity and correctness of the devotion, but does state that the Church believes that the devotion contains nothing contrary to Church dogma and teaching (“Nihil obstat” literally means “Nothing obstructs”), and that we may without sin practice the devotion and pass it on (“Imprimatur” means “Let it be printed”). Marianna Bartold, in her post whose link is given below, says that this prayer was "approved and recommended by M. Cardinal Pahiarca of Lisbon, Portugal on March 4, 1936".

2. Since the prayer is so short, when you do pray it, consider praying it multiple times.

In a test case, three repetitions, at 15 seconds each, took me 45 seconds, upping the total souls released from Purgatory (as we Catholics believe who trust in that promise based on Church approval of the devotion) from 1000 to 3000 for an extra 30 seconds of recitation time. Marianna Bartold (see link below) says, "Why not offer it at least five times in succession, in honor of Christ's Holy Wounds, every day? Each member of the family who does so will daily assist five thousand souls."

Here is Marianna Bartold's link on keepingitcatholic.blogspot.com, in which she had already, more than 6 years ago, made the two points above so effectively:

Keeping It Catholic - The Blog!It's where the Catholic Action is - a special spot for the those who are grateful to live in the Catholic City, wherever they may abide. Here you'll find articles on the Faith, Fatima, Secrets of the Catholic City, Catholic family life and homeschooling - all with what Hilaire Belloc called "the Catholic conscience of history."

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To receive an MS Word .doc-file version of the full post, please email me at steve_engel88@hotmail.com and I will email you the file.

I was praying for safe passage to God of a recently departed soul of an old lady I knew. While praying I had a vision that this lady was in a dark place and I saw yellow eyes watching. This is what prompted me to search for answers and I found this very interesting article. Was this perhaps purgatory that I saw in my vision?

There are several levels in purgatory. Who is to say what is at each level? But your vision of her is not a 'happy' one. I think you have been shown that you need to continue praying for her. What a fortunate lady to have a champion sending up prayers for her.

My routine which is taken From the official description which I will include below:

How to save a soul from Purgatory using the Church's regulations.Google search:° Conditions for saving a soul from Purgatory° Click on Liturgical Year : Activities : Praying for the Dead and Gaining… [read]° Click on Indulgences - General Conditions [read]° Click back arrow & click on Endichron of Indulgences [read]° Close Indulgences window & create a new window.° Search for Plenary Indulgences & click on Plenary Indulgences - Our Lady’s Warriors.

Here you will find acceptable acts for combining with the general conditions.° Click on any of the acts to see further details.

I have also donated enough money per month to the seraphic mass association. They are capuchin missionaries to have them say a novena of Masses for the Holy Souls in Purgatory.

In regards to non-Catholics being unable to get to Heaven I believe it to be inconceivable that the infinite love of God would allow this. Every day for the last 30 weeks I have been saying the decade prayer from Fatima that Jesus gave to Lucia which proves that Jesus wants ALL SOULS to be saved. I don't wish to brag but I have said this prayer over 300,000 times: "O my [loving] Jesus, pardon us, save us from the fire of Hell and draw all souls to Heaven, especially those most in need. I think those who DON'T BELIEVE in the infinite LOVE & MERCY of God need to expiate their dreadful attitude. If you wish to verify this prayer search for Lucia's version of the decade prayer at Fatima.

° Conditions for saving a soul from Purgatory° Click on Liturgical Year : Activities : Praying for the Dead and Gaining… [read]° Click on Indulgences - General Conditions [read]° Click back arrow & click on Endichron of Indulgences [read]° Close Indulgences window & create a new window.° Search for Plenary Indulgences & click on Plenary Indulgences - Our Lady’s Warriors.

Here you will find acceptable acts for combining with the general conditions.° Click on any of the acts to see further details.

I believe [from Jesus's decade prayer to Lucia at Fatima] that He wantS to save ALL SOULS AND DRAW THEM TO HEAVEN EVEN THOSE MOST IN NEED. To verify the decade prayer type: Lucia's version of the decade prayer at Fatima.

I pray it very slightly altered because of better English grammar. I have shifted an "and" and included loving before "Jesus". Over the last 30 weeks I have endeavoured to save a soul from Purgatory every day and said the decade prayer hundreds of thousands of times. {I say many while walking to Church]. Jesus's prayer which I have sent to the Pope to standardise the decade prayer is "O my loving Jesus, pardon us, save us from the fire of hell and draw ALL SOULS TO HEAVEN ESPECIALLY THOSE MOST IN NEED". After absorbing the sentiments of Jesus in this prayer I get horrified when I hear statements like "unbaptised souls are CONDEMNED TO HELL or NON-CATHOLICS. It's inconceivable that our loving and MERCIFUL Jesus or His Father think like this.

I am a practicing Catholic and in my daily rosary i offer one decade on behalf of the Holy Souls. When i wake up in the morning my first act is to offer up St Gertrude's prayer on behalf of the Holy souls and together with my daily morning prayers i offer up the novena on behalf of the Holy Souls. This has been going on for many years. Three years ago i was diagnosed with Colon Cancer that had passed stage four. The prognosis was bad, very bad that a cure was out of the way. I left it in the hands of God and continued with all my prayers.Three years since then and up to now with three major surgeries, full Chemo and Radio therapy a temporary disability and other strong medications, i am almost fully cured with no permanent disability. Words are inadequate to describe this miracle and i attribute it partly to the Holy Souls for whom i have never ceased to pray. This daily charitable act saved me and i know and feel that God accepted all my prayers on behalf of the Holy Souls.As long as i am alive i will do all that i can in my power to help the Holy Souls in the name of Jesus Christ, son of the Eternal father the author of all goodness.

" Eternal rest grant unto every soul in purgatory oh! Lord and let your perpetual light shine upon them all."" May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. Amen. "

A message to ALL... God knows the true intent of your heart. The teaching magisterium of the church,tradition and sacred scripture are our guides, along with pray, reconciliation and the mass. Add to that the visions, miracles and prayers of the saints, we have an abundance of help to assist in our salvation and the salvation of others

The goal of Satan is get us to STOP praying for ourselves and souls and to create doubt in our beliefs; the real presence in the Eucharist, praying the rosary. He creates seeds of doubt in the belief systems of the church to lead us away from a deeper religious life.

I have great respect for other Christians and pray for them. I know many know Christ and will find salvation.But Satan deceives even the good when he disguises himself as a angel of light

- I read comments above that the Mass is idolatry as it re-sacrifices Christ; when His salvic work is done on Calvary. This is Protestant Reformation theology to deny the holyness of the mass. This is Satan's deception to diminish the value of the mass and the Holy Eucharist- The bible is not the sole vehicle necessary for salvation. This is called Sola Scriptura, a belief system created by Martin Luther in the 16th century when he left the church. You can read more about it here:http://www.catholicapologetics.info/apologetics/protestantism/sola.htm

In NO WAY am I condemning any protestant or anyone who truly searches for God in their heart. I am warning that Satan' deceptions were behind the split in the church and continues to deceive the world as to not seek God.The problem i deeper than the split in the church. satan is convincing the secular world there is no God, he himself doesn't exist and there is no hell. He has deceived many into an ambiguous "spirituality" with no accountability, no sin and no punishment.

Continue to pray and seek God everyday and continue to pray for the souls in Purgatory. May the blessing of God be with you always and continue to put on the full armor of God...

Ephesians 6:10-17

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

I am not religious, I do not pray but I have a new found fear after repeatedly sinning and being visited by someone watching me at the end of my bed. He is a man but I can not see him other then his profile. He was watching me every night until a couple of weeks ago when I visited the most horrible place imaginable. There was levels and I was trying to climb my way up from the lowest. An elevator took me to these different levels where there were other people who were mad or insane or scared and in horrible torture. It was very dark. As you climb the levels it becomes less terrible as the very bottom....I don't know if this was all just dreams or not but I can not get over what I seen.... I am scared.

From my personal experience, there is no random happening or 'useless' dream. God is wonderful and loves us all so much that He tries to save us in many different ways. I believe you have been gifted with a warning. It is up to you now whether you choose to ignore the warning or return to God.

I say to you, do not worry. Just say to Jesus, "I am weak and I cannot do this without You, Lord Jesus Christ. I need you. Help me." All will be well.

When my husband passed away I called an order of priests that had supposedly said the Gregorian masses for all of my departed relatives. To my surprise the Priest that I spoke to advised me that none of the masses had been said for my departed relatives. He stated that the money must have been used to run their parish, and not forwarded on to the "Missionary" side of their order!! So my question is: Our families intent was correct, but the masses weren't said as the order didn't follow through. Now I wonder are my deceased relatives languishing in purgatory?I found another order who are Missionaries only for my husband, and a Friend, who have said the Gregorian Masses for them only. Status of my other relatives please?M. Bennett

I just finished praying, but I did so in tears. I lost my dad 12 years ago and I see him in my dreams sometimes but he doesn't say much. Most times he looks at me looking dumb as if he has no energy to utter a word. At first I thought it was because he left this world in lots of pains as he died of pancreatic cancer but now I understand better having read the above articles, that he probably is in the lowest part of purgatory and needs plenty of my prayers. Now I know I have to double my prayers for him and for all the souls in purgatory. I am bitterly and deeply kicking my self for not doing much for him in terms of prayers all these years, but I am glad for the opportunity this year's All Souls Day has given me, to make amends. Glory to God in the highest for the communion of Saints and for forgiveness of sins. His mercies endures forever. Amen

Purgatory is a lie from hell to deceive people that if they live wrong they still have a chance. This is unscriptural,if money can buy souls, why did Jesus spend six hours on the cross.These people are either lying,possessed by Satan, or demon incarnations. One thing im certain of there wont be purgatory for them, they will burn in everlasting flames, save they repent

If you're a Catholic and repeating, yet again, that there is no salvation outside the Church, then why are you on the internet stating what has already been said? Might it be self righteous pride? I would recommend you go to church, get on your knees, and do the stations of the cross and offer it for the conversion of those sinners that you are so ready to condemn to hell, and that the Lord may grant you humility.

And if you're Bible Christian, or Orthodox, or whatever, stating that purgatory, or the Mass, or the Real Presence, or the authority of the Pope, or the Magisterium are a fiction, let me remind you that the devil can feign all the virtues and all the graces, save for OBEDIENCE. And it was for that purpose, more than any other, that Christ instituted one Holy Catholic, and Apostolic Church with Peter, the most flawed of his faithful apostles, at it's head. So that it may be OBEYED. So, when you read that hacked up book you call a bible, and interpret it with your own self serving pride, and refuse to OBEY, we know who's influence you are under.

Please pray for my soul. I am in torment from my sins. I try over and over to do right but i still commit certain sins that haunt me like a disease. Please if any one here can have masses or prayers for me I will be forever grateful! GOD bless you all! Iwant to be with GOD in heaven i'm so afraid of hell!

Dear Anonymous,Don't be discouraged by your frequent falls and failings. As Christians we are called to fight this battle with our sins and weaknesses each day as best we can, and often we lose many of the daily battles, yet Jesus, in His infinite love and mercy, is always calling us to Himself, seeking always to forgive us so long as we desire and we seek His forgiveness. So, just keep "fighting the good fight" each day as best you can, and do not get overly discouraged in your human weaknesses and failings. Jesus infinite love and mercy far surpass our sins and our own human failings.

To the person who is feeling tormented... Try to say your mother Mary's Rosary each day that she will gradually untangle you from your web. Also look up the Chaplet of Divine Mercy to say and you will then be praying for God's mercy upon yourself and the whole world. I say the Rosary every day, in which everyone is prayed for in each Hail Mary and I usually say 5 Chaplets of Mercy when I am trying to save a soul from Purgatory. Google: How to save a soul from Purgatory [with God's approval]. I believe that saving souls from purgatory is like heavenly insurance.

Thank you for this wonderful writeup.I lost my dad 3 weeks ago on a sunday.He was a righteous man and suffered a great deal while on earth. He was down with chronic kidney disease for the last 12 years and 6 years on dialysis. He passed away due to a cardiac arrest and received the anointing of the sick before he breathed his last. He never missed praying the rosary daily or masses on first fridays and saturdays. I believe that his suffering while on earth and his prayers and sacrfices would have helped him find favour with our Lord. How I wish he could tell me where he is now and if he needs more prayers. I have offered masses for 30 days for him and make sure I do not miss those masses myself. My faith in christ has grown stronger and I have started praying for all souls in purgatory. I have also started the novena for the holy souls for 9 days.This article has made me realize how much of help the holy souls need. Thank you for this.

If you read the book (spiritual diary) of the life of a very recent mystic lady Elizabeth Kindelmann, who died in 1987, you will find a very easy way to release souls from Purgatory. Both Mother Mary and Jesus Himself gave these words to Elizabeth and asked her to spread 'The Flame of Love of the Immaculate Heart of Mary' in order that Purgatory be emptied.

In November every Ave with the words given to Elizabeth will release 10 souls from Purgatory...other months of the year every three Ave's with the added words will release a soul.

The words are said at the end of the Hail Mary prayer.."Spread the effect of grace of Thy flame of love over all of humanity now and at the hour of our death. Amen." Also Mother asked that every prayer to her finish with these words, "Mother of God, spread the effect of grace of thy flame of love over all of humanity now and at the hour of our death. Amen."

Further Jesus and Mary asked Elizabeth to fast on bread and water every Monday in order to release the soul of a priest from Purgatory. Plus, if one fasted this way, at the moment of the Consecration at each Mass said during the rest of the week, many souls would be released from Purgatory. If it was a Priest fasting, Jesus said that at the moment of the Consecration an infinite number of souls would be released from Purgatory. When Elizabeth asked how many was an infinite number the response was that it was an infinite number.

Though it is not relevant to the topic, Elizabeth was also given a prayer to blind Satan in his tracks as he was approaching a soul. The words to this prayer are "..to Jesus and Mary, may our feet journey together, may our hands gather in unity, may our hearts beat in unison, may our souls beat in harmony. May our thoughts be as one. May our ears listen to the silence together, may our glances profoundly penetrate each other, may our lips pray together to gain mercy from the Eternal Father."

In the last 10 years I have experienced what I think are the Souls in Purgatory, asking for prayers. I heard moaning, or terrible crying as if drowning in tears or sniffles as if their tears are drying. Sometimes I hear gurgling or dry heaves or a scream as if someone had boiling water thrown at them. I've also received a thank you and a kiss on the cheek. I'm sorry to be so graphic but this has made me see how we really need to make this our life's work of charity. The good news is that I do see my prayers and masses are helping but it takes a while. But we all need to do our part with more fervor. A short prayer, although well intentioned, is just not enough for them. Remember Jesus told Sr. Mary Peter of the Holy Face in the prayer, "May the most holy, most sacred, most adorable, most incomprehensible and unutterable name of God, be praised, blessed loved, adored and glorified in heaven on earth and in the hells......." Even Sr. Mary Peter wondered why Our Lord said in the hells. This just proves that Purgatory can be a lesser level hell to some degree. My personal theory is that the rich man Dives who asked for water from Father Abraham was not in the permanent hell but in the temporary hell. Why? Because 1. he asked that his family be notified to avoid the place 2. He called Abraham, Father. A damned soul would not care about their loved ones nor would they call Abraham Father. I believe Dives was in a lower part of Purgatory that was close to hell. Finally, when people have a "paranormal" ghost experience and hear moans, it could possibly be a soul longing for help. Also offer the Holy Wounds, Precious Blood, Sacred Heart and Holy Face 50 times (on the beads) for Priests/Religious in Purgatory. Our Lord really likes that prayer. Pray hard my friends!

The Church has a method for saving a soul from Purgatory. I have used this method and published on Google a straightforward summary of the method. Over 200 people have viewed it. Just Google: How to save a soul from Purgatory [with God's approval]

Some people believe that St. Gertrude's prayer releases thousands of souls from Purgatory. I also believed this when I read about it but I thought I should check the Church's view on the prayer and discovered it was PROHIBITED. You can only save ONE SOUL PER DAY and it's NOT EASY!!!!!!. I can't say of course whether God honours the prayer because of the ignorance of the person saying it. I read where a man had saved 1 MILLION SOULS. That figure is IMPOSSIBLE because he would have had to save ONE SOUL EVERY HOUR OF HIS LIFE UNTIL HE WAS 114 YEARS OLD. 99.99% of us will NOT LIVE A MILLION HOURS!!! Do the maths!!

You cannot BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU READ. For example Jesus could NOT HAVE FASTED FOR 40 DAYS & NIGHTS. HE WOULD HAVE BEEN DEAD AFTER 8 DAYS. [Explanation: In the Bible the number 40 is used 142 times. 40 DAYS & NIGHTS simply means a LONG TIME.]

Very good point. But be more concern about them with your own prayers and dont look at what other people say.the only thing that matters is what you do with your prayers and the offerings you make to the lord.

It is more efficacious for a true priest to offer a true mass than for you. But there are very powerful prayers you can say that are very very efficacious for the souls in purgatory. Our Blessed mother gave us one in the pita prayer book and saint Greagry the great gave us one from our lord. There is also one in the missle of the latin mass

I do not offer Masses any more. I go to receive the Eucharist. [part of the formula for gaining a plenary indulgence]. Secondly and importantly Jesus said NOT TO JUDGE, SO YOU WILL NOT BE JUDGED. DO NOT CONDEMN [which you are doing] SO YOU WILL NOT BE CONDEMNED ETC. Also: God READS THE HEART AND KNOWS MY PURE INTENTIONS. I pray to God the Father in the Chaplet of Divine Mercy given to St. Faustina, that He will have Mercy on the WHOLE WORLD. YOU ARE INCLUDED IN THOSE PRAYERS. God bless and thank you for your opinion. I want you to get to Heaven, whatever you believe. I pray daily for that via the Rosary and Chaplet.

Pope Innocent III (circa 1160 - 1216 CE) is considered "one of the greatest popes of the Middle Ages..." 1 At the Fourth Lateran Council (a.k.a. the General Council of Lateran, and the Great Council) he wrote:"There is but one universal Church of the faithful, outside of which no one at all can be saved."

Pope Boniface VIII (1235-1303 CE) promulgated a Papal Bull in 1302 CE titled Unam Sanctam (One Holy). He wrote, in part:"Urged by faith, we are obliged to believe and to maintain that the Church is one, holy, catholic, and also apostolic. We believe in her firmly and we confess with simplicity that outside of her there is neither salvation nor the remission of sins...In her then is one Lord, one faith, one baptism [Ephesians 4:5]. There had been at the time of the deluge only one ark of Noah, prefiguring the one Church, which ark, having been finished to a single cubit, had only one pilot and guide, i.e., Noah, and we read that, outside of this ark, all that subsisted on the earth was destroyed....Furthermore, we declare, we proclaim, we define that it is absolutely necessary for salvation that every human creature be subject to the Roman Pontiff." 2

Pope Eugene IV, (1388-1447 CE) wrote a Papal bull in 1441 CE titled Cantate Domino. One paragraph reads:"It [the Church] firmly believes, professes, and proclaims that those not living within the Catholic Church, not only pagans, but also Jews and heretics and schismatics cannot become participants in eternal life, but will depart 'into everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels' [Matt. 25:41], unless before the end of life the same have been added to the flock; and that the unity of the ecclesiastical body is so strong that only to those remaining in it are the sacraments of the Church of benefit for salvation, and do fastings, almsgiving, and other functions of piety and exercises of Christian service produce eternal reward, and that no one, whatever almsgiving he has practiced, even if he has shed blood for the name of Christ, can be saved, unless he has remained in the bosom and unity of the Catholic Church." 4

Pope Innocent III: "There is but one universal Church of the faithful, outside which no one at all is saved." Fourth Lateran Council, 1215. Pope Boniface VIII: "We declare, say, define, and pronounce that it is absolutely necessary for the salvation of every human creature to be subject to the Roman Pontiff." From his Bull Unam Sanctam, 1302. Pope Eugene IV: "The most Holy Roman Church firmly believes, professes and preaches that none of those existing outside the Catholic Church, not only pagans, but also Jews and heretics and schismatics, can have a share in life eternal; but that they will go into the eternal fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels, unless before death they are joined with Her; and that so important is the unity of this ecclesiastical body that only those remaining within this unity can profit by the sacraments of the Church unto salvation, and they alone can receive an eternal recompense for their fasts, their almsgivings, their other works of Christian piety and the duties of a Christian soldier. No one, let his almsgiving be as great as it may, no one, even if he pour out his blood for the Name of Christ, can be saved, unless he remain within the bosom and the unity of the Catholic Church." From his Bull Cantate Domino, 1441.)

Joseph, you are a fundamentalist in danger of going to Hell yourself for CONDEMNING ALL PROTESTANTS. I'll bet many protestants are far more loving and caring than you. In the FINAL JUDGEMENT WE WILL BE JUDGED ON HOW WE TREATED OUR NEIGHBOUR. "When I was hungry, thirsty, sick, in prison, a stranger etc YOU DID IT TO ME. Many teachings of the Catholic Church are WRONG and a load of BULL. We should be discerning and do what we think is right. Pope Innocent III, Pope Boniface VIII, Pope Eugene IV are preaching DISGUSTING, ANTI-CHRISTIAN TEACHINGS. I think you should disclose your opinions with a priest and hopefully get back on track. I HAVE NEVER IN MY 72 YEARS OF CATHOLIC LIVING HEARD SUCH A BIGOT. Your replies will be BINNED, because I don't want to be INFECTED BY YOUR UTTER CRAP!!!!!

It is obvious from the above prayers that God desires EVERYONE to be SAVED. One of my hobbies is praying for ALL SOULS that they will GET TO HEAVEN. This morning at Church I especially mentioned Joseph Cade, saying 200 prayers for him. I'm sure he believes in his opinion but I simply disagree. May God bless everyone and steer them to Heaven.

Thank you sir. There is nothing wrong w/ praying for those in and outside the church. And you are expected to convert others to tha catholic faith as the lord told us to. But this vatican 2 church forbids it by tha pope. So you are right sir to say " God wants everyone to be saved" but remember our lord said at the last supper. When he blessed the bread this is my body that is given up for many MANY !!! Not all

I am 100% confident I am on the right path to Heaven. I would NEVER LISTEN TO ADVICE FROM YOU. You are a DANGER to ALL the SOULS GOD WANTS TO SAVE. Nevertheless, I pray for all souls daily that they will get to Heaven, including you. When did the Vatican II Church lead by 2 saints: John XXIII & John Paul II [found incorrupt] FORBID WHAT???????????. You have also CONDEMNED ME AS SINNER. [Jesus said NOT TO CONDEMN, so you need to go to CONFESSION & tell Jesus's REPRESENTATIVE THAT YOU CONDEMNED SOMEONE]

Google: The unbelievable benefits of Divine Mercy Sunday: On April 23rd, instituted prior to WWII and approved of by the current Church and make use of it.

My original intention at this site was to show Catholics how to save a soul from Purgatory. You have ATTACKED me on these UNRELATED ISSUES. I DON'T UNDERSTAND YOU!!!!

It is VITAL, Joseph, for you to look up The unbelievable benefits of Divine Mercy Sunday because Jesus has an EXTRAORDINARY message for ALL CATHOLICS. You will need to go to Confession to receive the benefits [usually 3 weeks prior].

WITHIN 3 weeks. It appears that you don’t want souls to be saved, [but go to Hell ~ you are on Satan’s side]. Jesus said He would be with His Church until the end of time [which includes Vatican II onwards]. Every time you say the Rosary [which Mary asked to be said daily since 1917], we are praying for EVERYONE: Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for US SINNERS NOW & AT THE HOUR OF HOUR DEATH.

SIR YOU ARE A SINNER !!! And without the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar and a true confession you are going to Hell for your sins. Christ didnt die for nothing.John paul 2 is not a saint he is s freemanson he recinded the church law against freemansons and commited many heresies. So did john xx111 they are not saint by vatican 2 they commited over 202 heresies.they are condemmed to hell. As you are if you follow them.

Christs church is the traditional catholic church. Not the one you go to. They broke away from Christs church at vatican 2.And it is you who judge what makes you think i dont pray or go to confession but BUT BY THE TRUE CATHOLIC CHURCH not the one you go to. You cant go to confession because it is worthless and condemned as is the mass and the priests since vatican 2 changed all the rites of the sacraments.I fine it very telling that there are over 202 heresies and you know NOT ONE !!!!

Sir before you end up in hell go to the web site of the most holy family monastery and read everything they have and look at all the videos you are now under the eyes of our lord who is now calling you. Will you answer His call ?!!!!!

How come the body of Pope John Paul II has been discovered incorrupt? Answer that one, you know all!! I think you are a victim of Sebastomania: [Religious insanity]. Your garbage does not frighten me at all. I pity you. See a Catholic psychiatrist!!!! I'm trashing your next comment because that's where it belongs.

But what shall we say of the feelings of the Holy Souls themselves? It would be utterly impossible to describe their unbounded gratitude to those who help them! Filled with an immense desire to repay the favours done them they pray for their benefactors with a fervour so great, so intense, so constant that God can refuse them nothing. St. Catherine of Bologna says: "I received many and very great favours from the Saints but still greater favours from the Holy Souls."

When they are finally released from their pains and enjoy the beatitude of Heaven, far from forgetting their friends on earth, their gratitude knows no bounds. Prostrate before the Throne of God they never cease to pray for those who helped them. By their prayers they shield their friends from the dangers and protect them from the evils that threaten them.

They will never cease these prayers until they see their benefactors safely in Heaven and will be for ever their dearest, sincerest and best friends.

Did Catholics only know what powerful protectors they secure by helping the Holy Souls they would not be so remiss in praying for them.

I'm elated with what ANONYMOUS has said because I have spent nearly every day of the last 3 years attempting to save them via the Church's formula for saving a soul from Purgatory. Google: How to save a soul from Purgatory [with God's approval] [227 views]

The apparitions in this story, save one (where the apparition mentions something about three more days), are quite vague on being aware of the passage of time. I've always wondered if souls in purgatory are aware of the passage of time. Do they have clocks and calendars? Do they see the sun rise and set? Have they been gifted a supernatural sense?

Also, I've seen in some places Heaven and Hell described not as places, but as states of being. However, I am not aware of any description of purgatory except as a place. What is the position of the Catholic Church on that matter?

I have a very absorbent memory & I remember 2 things. Jesus said: Purgatory is near the centre of the earth as is Hell. Also, I read in Mystics of the Church etc. that the passing of time seems to go very slowly. The witness from there said: This an example: 1 year seemed like 10. You can read these details at the top of this document where you posted your statement.

I am answering Doug Buitenbos. My memory is very good but what I read does not come from this document but here there is a similar statement regarding the length of time served in Purgatory. You sometimes say to me that the perfecting of a soul is a long process and you are also astonished that after so many prayers, I am so long deprived of the sight of God. Alas, the perfecting of a soul does not take any less time in Purgatory than upon earth. There are a number of souls, but they are very few, who have only a few venial sins to expiate. These do not stay long in Purgatory. A few well-said prayers, a few sacrifices soon deliver them. But when there are souls like mine - and that is nearly all whose lives have been so empty and who paid little or no attention to their salvation - then their whole life has to be begun over again in this place of expiation. The soul has to perfect itself and love and desire Him, whom it did not love sufficiently on earth. This is the reason why the deliverance of some souls is delayed. God has given me a very great grace in allowing me to ask for prayers. I did not deserve it, but without this, I would have remained like most of those here, for years and years more.”

As to Saints and Blesseds, so far we have shared stories from St Padre Pio and Blessed Henry Suso. But there are many more canonized Saints who have been great helpers of the suffering souls. The most well known and recognized are St John Macias (who was known to have released literally thousands of souls from Purgatory during his holy lifetime). It has been said by a priest who wrote about souls in Purgatory that St John Macias saved over a million souls: I have calculated that this is 100% IMPOSSIBLE because to save a million souls you would have to begin the day you were born and every hour save a soul for 24 hours a day for 114 years without any sleeping. Google: Will you live a million hours? You cannot always believe what you read! In this document it says Masses are efficacious for saving souls but these days they cost between $5 & $10 dollars which we can't all afford. The Church has another method that costs nothing except hard praying etc. Google: How to save a soul from Purgatory ~ You can save 1 soul per day. The Enchiridion of Indulgences shows how to gain numerous indulgences both plenary & partial. Some can be applied to yourself or a soul in Purgatory. For the Greatest day on which to benefit from a plenary indulgence & all past sins forgiven: Google: The Unbelievable Benefits of Divine Mercy Sunday ~ on April 23, 2017, ~ You can confess within 3 weeks of that date.

What Joseph Cade said is true, "Outside the Church there is no salvation." This doctrine did not originate from Joseph Cade, as you know, it had been affirmed throughout the 2000-year history of the Church by at least four or five Pontiffs and the Magisterium.

But you are correct: God wills that everyone be saved (although not every soul wills in conformity with God's will), therefore we must pray for the salvation of every soul.

We must pray, in all charity, that all sinners recognize their wretchedness and with our prayers and those of the angels and saints (especially Our Blessed Mother's), they come back to God and beg for His mercy, even at the hour of death.

If a sinner does so, he would have become Catholic even at the last moment and thus, will have come into the Church were there is salvation.

Thanks for your comment. I know the Church has said: "Outside the Church there is no salvation." This does not sound like we adore a merciful, understanding God. We say God is love, but how could He condemn mere unbaptised infants to Hell [as the Traditional Church believes]. The precedence for believing is GOD FIRST [through His teachings and other valid revelations], SECOND is the CHURCH and lastly civil authority. A Catholic writer said this is the precedence we are obliged to follow. We must question the truth of Church statements if we believe they contradict God's teaching. Google; The Present and the Future ~ in this story I believe that Pope Francis is leading Catholics astray. On youtube: 4 Cardinals want to question him about certain VERY IMPORTANT MATTERS, but he hasn't come to the party. Even though I am a highly devoted Catholic I have said to Jesus: "How can I love You if You condemn my unbaptised grandchildren to Hell." Anyway, Jesus said: The unbaptised can't enter Heaven ~ He did NOT say they will go to Hell as the Church believes. I know Jesus desires the salvation of everyone because at Fatima He gave Lucia the following prayer: "O my Jesus, pardon us, save us from the fire of Hell and draw [attract] ALL SOULS to Heaven, especially those most in need. On youtube view: Kim Clement Prophecy: Mary Will Convert America! I love you Marie and I pray for the salvation of the WHOLE WORLD well over a 1,000 times a week and that includes you. Surely God will answer these good prayers!

It's very interesting Marie that St.Padre Pio believes that MOST SOULS will get to Heaven which contradicts Jesus in Luke: "Try your best to enter by the narrow door. Many will try but many will not succeed." Google: Astounding statements by Padre Pio and Jesus ~ you will have to click on JesusLover33's social stories · Storify ~ When you arrive at my site click on my image at the top right and select Profile. Then you will be able to scroll down trough my stories until you see: Astounding statements by Padre Pio and Jesus ~ Padre Pio has been incorrupt since 1968 and endured the stigmata for 50 years so his opinion she NOT BE SCOFFED AT. He would NEVER HAVE BEEN INSPIRED TO MAKE SUCH A STATEMENT unless he also believed it. The Church says "God is Love" and then in the name of Jesus they CONDEMN BILLIONS TO HELL: Google: I Heard a Catholic Priest, in the Name of Jesus, Condemn 6 Billion souls to Hell. At Garabandal in Northern Spain in 1962 [same time as Vatican II], Mary said: "Many Cardinals, Bishops and priests are on the road to perdition and they will take many souls with them." Did she mean the New Church [which has been infiltrated with many, many freemasons who want to destroy the Catholic Church. I even saw a list of them telling when they joined the Masons. I have been wondering lately whether the Traditional Church is the one to follow but I don't like the fact that they accuse the New Church as being invalid and do not believe in the visions ofJesus to St. Faustina. They don't celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday: Googgle: The Unbelievable benefits of Divine Mercy Sunday. On This Sunday Jesus forgives all our past sins and any debt due. It is on April 23, 2017. You can go to Confession within 3 weeks of that date. Google also: Two MAJOR EVENTS That Are Closely Related in 2017

Marie, In Psalm 15 God said to speak the truth from your heart so I'm going to. The Traditional Church condemns unbaptized infants to Hell. Jesus's statement below from "The Diary of St. Faustina". ~ but the Traditional Church has condemned this Diary saying that Satan is at its roots. In the Diary Jesus says: Today, bring to me the meek and humble souls and the souls of little children and immerse them in My mercy. These souls most closely resemble My Heart. They strengthened Me during My bitter agony. I saw them as earthly Angels, who would keep vigil at My altars. I pour out upon them whole torrents of grace. Only the humble soul is able to receive My grace. I favor humble souls with My confidence. Most Merciful Jesus, You yourself have said, "Learn from Me for I am meek and humble of heart." Receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart all meek and humble souls and the souls of little children. These souls send all heaven into ecstasy and they are the heavenly Father's favorites. They are a sweet-smelling bouquet before the throne of God; God himself takes delight in their fragrance. These souls have a permanent abode in Your Most Compassionate Heart, O Jesus, and they unceasingly sing out a hymn of love and mercy. A truly gentle and humble soul, Already here on earth the air of paradise breathes, And in the fragrance of her humble heart, The Creator Himself delights. Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon meek souls, upon humble souls, and upon the souls of little children who are enfolded in the abode which is the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. These souls bear the closest resemblance to Your Son. Their fragrance rises from the earth and reaches Your very throne. Father of mercy and of all goodness, I beg You by the love You bear these souls and by the delight You take in them: Bless the whole world, that all souls together may sing out the praises of Your mercy for endless ages. Amen. The Traditional Church condemns the vast majority of non-Catholics to Hell. [This is such an arrogant statement]. Mary said in her "Magnificat" that the Almighty casts the mighty from their thrones [The Traditional Catholic Church] and raises the lowly [non-Catholics]. Google: The Traditional Catholic Church Frightened the "Hell Out of Us" & the 3 stories therein. If I was a non-Catholic, I would justifiably hate the arrogant Catholic Church. I am a devoted Catholic of the New Church which is soundly condemned by the Traditional Church.

After seeing the video: Reasons to Take Offense at Pope Francis...Just the Beginning, I no longer support the New Church as I stated in the above post. My comment at the video site:

Dear Dr. Kelly, I notice you have the image of the Divine Mercy behind you on the wall. I was going to join the Traditional Church the other day but they reject the Diary of St. Faustina [and its contents. They say it is rooted in Satan]. I believe in the Diary and the Mercy of Jesus. The traditional Church also condemns unbaptized infants to Hell, but Jesus in St. Faustina's book welcomes ALL CHILDREN to Heaven. I'm attending Divine Mercy Sunday to receive the benefits, Jesus promised. I endorse the New Church at present and have done so from the age 18 to 72. It's interesting that Vatican II began in the year when I was 18.Do you think it would be wise to maintain my stance with the New Church or leave it for the Traditional Church? The Traditional Church says the New Church is INVALID & its members are sinning mortally. I have written about the Pope and don't believe all his statements concerning the Gospels. Google: The Present and the Future ~ to see my beliefs. The traditional Church also condemns St. Pope John Paul II as an apostate anti-Pope. In the Diary, Jesus said Pope John Paul II would prepare the world for His second coming. I am in a quandary, please help me onto the right path. I hope you answer these comments as other lecturers do. Note: I do not follow any teaching that is false from the Church. I believe the precedence is 1. Listen to Jesus first. 2. The Church. 3. Civil authority. Is it OK for me to go to Divine Mercy Sunday in the New Church because the Traditional Church does not celebrate it? Who are the faithful remnant?﻿

I can't recommend enough that everyone at this site to view this video on youtube:

Reasons to Take Offense at Pope Francis...Just the Beginning

It concerns everything you need to know by this theologian who summarizes the present and the future of the Catholic Church. He studied this matter for 6 years and feels it is his duty on behalf of God to spread this message.

ALL CATHOLICS NEED to watch the following ESSENTIAL videos on youtube: Reasons to Take Offense at Pope Francis...Just the Beginning. Also: Garabandal - The Warning 11:23 - and: The Seven Seals, the Book of Revelation and the Donald Trump Prophecies

First of all I apologise to Joseph Cade who was trying to tell me I was following the false Church: The New Church implemented at Vatican II. Today, I attended my first Traditional Mass since following the New Church for 54 years.In 1962, [the same year when Vatican II began], the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to 4 children and gave them this astounding message: "Many Cardinals, Bishops and priests are heading for perdition and they will take many souls with them". She gave other incredible messages as well but you can look them up. The following video's and documents should convince you 100% that the Church to belong to is the Traditional Church [pre-Vatican II Church] ~

Our New Church, since Vatican II is saturated with Freemasons whose aim is to destroy the Catholic Church. Pope Paul VI declared: "The smoke of Satan has entered the Church." Pope Francis is a Freemason ~ I have seen a long list of the Church hierarchy who are members of Freemasonry.

The true Church is the Traditional Church - The faithful remnant, pre-Vatican II

If this doesn't convince you of the truth, then nothing will. When the pressure is on 75% of Christians will betray Him.

There is a new version of the book by Sister M. de L.C. (Sister Marie de la Croix) on Amazon, titled "What Happens to Me After I Die?" It also includes the book by St. Catherine of Genoa, and an endnote by Fr. Gabriele Amorth. Excellent!

Thanks to this author for their comment. I also have read that the Cure of Ars said that the Souls in Purgatory will plead for us if we save them. I now believe that Pope Francis is the AntiChrist. Google: Accessing All JesusLover33's Social Stories and then click on JesusLover33's Social Stories • Storify to explore all my stories. About 340. Over 7,100 followers. Google: JesusLover33's Most Important Story?

I'm really inspired I got the same article from my aunt ,I lost my dad 3/September 2017 I feel he needs prayer we have done some masses but my consciousness tells me he needs more please pray with me his name is Francis Orango

The Church has a method for saving souls from Purgatory (but I imagine you can't choose who you want to be saved but Jesus may consider it). First of all, you must say an Our Father and a Hail Mary for the Pope's intentions. Then if you are in the state of grace go to Communion. Do at least 30 minutes of adoration or Scripture Reading. Do not commit any sins on the day that you are trying to save. The Endirichon of Indulgences has other acts that you can perform. At the end of the day, you will receive a plenary indulgence that you can use for yourself or a soul in Purgatory. God may take souls in turn but I don't really know. It's worth saving a soul from Purgatory anyway. If you are going to save souls on a regular basis you need to go to Confession once every 3 weeks (or what your priest allows). He allows a month for me because my computer is set to reminding me automatically once a month.

If I was to join the fraternity mentioned I would have sold my soul fora fortune in this world alone. Once I was offered US$100,000,000 by a fictitious person on Twitter. It was a scam. I was offered the money to do a small favor for the person mentioned. I told them that God would prefer I didn't take the money but do the favor anyway which I did. I said that Psalm 15 said not to take interest on a loan and this was a similar situation. I have been offered US$10,000,000 twice on Facebook and US$1,000,000 once on Facebook and once on Twitter. They were all scammers but I wanted to believe them. My wife and son persuaded me out of it even though I was certain of getting the money.

I was approached by the Illuminati once and they told me I could be happy in this world if I joined them. I thought to myself that we only have a few thousand days to live in this world. (26,300 days for the average man of 72 and less than 29,000 for a woman). The equation says it's not worth all the money in the world to lose your soul and follow the notorious Illuminati

I was offered US$100,000,000 by a scammer on Twitter for a small favor. I did the favor but didn't want the money. On Facebook, I was offered US$10,000,000 twice but my wife and son persuaded me that it was a scam because I was willing to believe it. So the lesson is this. If someone wants you to receive money they want your bank account or identity so they can steal your money. I have 3,800 friends on Facebook but I don't go there anymore because my wife doesn't trust it. I had 3,500 friends in 4 weeks and some of them were scammers. Not all of course.

I've an open-mind on Purgatory; seems far too human-made with contrived rules but it's nice enough idea & obviously I can't know for sure. My main source of info. on the afterlife, other than the Bible, is from Near Death Experiences involving God & Jesus; these testimonies ring true & inspire me. But I'm shocked & saddened to hear people are actually paying to have prayers said for them after death?! - Do you really believe a right & just God would operate like that; a system that could penalise according to earthly wealth & effectively allow buying a fast-track to Heaven?! - & how many is sufficient, how d'you know where is the line drawn? - Whatever gives you comfort, but that is NOT about God.Also, it's unlikely there 'arn't enough prayers said for the souls in purgatory'; prayers are regularly said for all at Mass across the world, they arn't forgotten.

I believe in Purgatory because if a soul is not ready to enter heaven because they have sin debts and they do not deserve to go to hell then there has to be a place between heaven and hell where a person can purify themselves before they are fit for heaven where everyone is sinless. Prayers and Masses help departed souls to enter heaven but they need a plenary indulgence to enter directly into heaven. The Church has a method for gaining a plenary indulgence for departed souls. This indulgence requires certain conditions to be fulfilled before a plenary indulgence is granted. On the day of saving a soul from purgatory, you have to say an Our Father and Hail Mary for the intentions of the Pope.Confession is required once every 3 weeks. One has to be in a state of grace before receiving Communion on the day of saving. A person trying to save a soul has to perform an approved act from the Endirichron of Indulgences such as at least 30 minutes of adoration before the Tabernacle or at least 30 minutes of Scripture reading. The final hurdle is to spend the day without committing a sin even a venial sin.

I also once was confused on NDE’s and purgatory. They rarely talked about it and their message is very new age. I was confused because my family had an experience when I was four years old. My family was very poor and we all used to sleep in a single bedroom. A dark shadow would enter the room and sat on my father. I never saw it but my two older brothers were witnesses to it as well as my father. My father felt as if something heavy pressed him down and not letting him move. It went like this for many days until one day my father got tired and asked using a few bad words, what did it want? And the shadow replied to him that he was his father and was in purgatory and needed 5 masses to come out of it. Now my family wasn’t religious, we didn’t use to go to mass or even have a bible at home. We didn’t even know how to pray. Sadly we used to carry the rosary like if it was a good luck amulet. That’s how lost we were. Don’t know if masses were dedicated on time. As a grown up I tried to understand all of this and struggle with it after all these NDE’s stories. However I have done a lot of research and realized the possibility that the mayority or these NDE’s are a trick from satan/Lucifer. In the Bible there’s a clear warning that he can appear as an angel of light. The conclusion I came up with is that death has stages and sadly people buried their death said a few prayers and go on with their lives thinking their love ones are in heaven. When is possible that they may be wrestiling with demons in the firsts heavens and desesperately need all the spiritual help they can get.

"Beautiful post! Still...I think it's helpful for people to keep in mind the dogma that there is no salvation outside the Catholic Church."

..which is the Body of Christ. So if Jesus approaches a soul at the moment of death, and they accept him, repenting as necessary, then they become part of the body of Christ. It's a teaching of the Church also that God is not bound to the sacraments as administered by the priests, but operates freely outside of the Church. Protestants are also therefore informal members of the Catholic Church, whether they know it or not.

This is why we can be confident that being born in a jungle with no knowledge of God or Jesus is not a defacto sentence to damnation.

"But I'm shocked & saddened to hear people are actually paying to have prayers said for them after death?! - Do you really believe a right & just God would operate like that; a system that could penalise according to earthly wealth"

Payment is voluntary. It's not the sin of Simony. And the priest has to live off something. It's called a stipend and is usually a small sum like $5, which you give if you can.

WIDEN MY KNOWLDEGE WHAT IS POOR SOUL IN PORGATORY IS, BUT DONT YOU KNOW THAT SINCE I WAS IN MY HIGH SCHOOL YEAR, poor souls in purgatory is in my prayers and even up to now, its because during our recollection one of the speaker ( nun ) ask us to pray for them it was inculcated in mind from then on ...and i even light candles for them...I realized how I helping them.

If only I could reach the person who commented in 2015 about the Fatima Prayer seemingly being directed to ALL SOULS. I had misgivings about this, in a way because of its universal salvation flavor. I found recently looking into Fatima Prayers on Wikipedia, a link to someone who did translate the Portuguese from the Diary of Sister Lucia in her own handwriting. It is below.

The translation of what Our Lady said is actually, evidently: as we know the prayer except for this: 'lead all poor souls to Heaven, especially those most in need of thy mercy' - Sr. Lucia used the word 'little souls' because that was the wording used by Our Lady because the Portuguese at the time and maybe still today, use that term as we use 'poor souls' to refer to those in purgatory.

You cannot buy your loved ones way out of purgatory. What an unjust god you believe in if you think this is so. No extra Masses are said and money just goes into the pockets of the clergy. It would be unjust that a millionaire could have millions of masses said for him to get him out of purgatory. For goodness sake use commonsense here. Priests will encourage it for the money and the feeling of power they get from you.God help us all when so many are blinded by this unjust thought of buying your way out of purgatory.

After reading this it as shock me that many souls are suffering, my mother died six years ago and them on saying . Please pray for all souls who are died in the family and soul who have no one. Mother who no more with us i do pray for the souls what she as taught us .May all the souls rest in peace.

Are there Demons in the lowest levels of purgatory vexing the Holy souls? Any examples from the saints and mystics to confirm this? Some believe there are no demons in purgatory, but I am not sure of that, since demons vex the living on Earth right now.

Purgatory is a dogma of the Catholic faith--just like Hell--that one must believe to qualify as a Catholic. People who do not believe in Purgatory are not Catholics,no matter where their souls end up after death.

The present pope is a socialist. Socialism is evil. There have been good popes and bad popes. When I go to Communion and return to the pew to say a prayer for the release of a soul, I, and others, are required to say an Our Father and a Hail Mary for the intentions of the pope. At first, this bothered me, and I did as asked, but, felt uncomfortable about the requirement for this man.I finally decided that I must continue the prayers for the pope, and let God decide what to do about it, as I surely want the people that I pray for to get out of Purgatory, if they still happen to be there.I have a sister who is very religious, and also a brother like that, and they listen to Michael Voris, who claims that only Catholics can get to Heaven. I found something in the Mass which contradicts that belief. It is found in the Offertory, and this is what it says: Receive, O Holy Father, almighty and eternal God, this spotless host, which I, Thine unworthy servant, offer unto Thee, my living and true God, for my countless sins, trespasses, and omissions; likewise for all here present, and for ALL FAITHFUL CHRISTIANS, whether living or dead, that it may avail both me and them to salvation, unto life everlasting. Amen. My caps.This prayer is apparently overlooked by everyone, but, I noticed it some time ago, and if it has been a part of the Mass for hundreds and hundreds of years, and is still there, why, I take it literally. When I pointed this out to my brother and sister, I got no answer. I think that I hit a home run.If a person is a faithful Christian, then, the Catholic priest saying the prayer is obviously including Protestants. I certainly hope so. I take it on faith. I recommend it.

To find the conditions for saving a soul from Purgatory once a day search for Plenary Indulgences - General Conditions.

St Gertrude's prayer is prohibited by the Church. Pope Leo declared this. I said it multiple times and calculated that I had saved 2 million souls. After looking up whether it was valid I found 4 hits saying it was invalid.

If you want Masses said for your soul during life and in the afterlife join the Confraternity of the Holy Rosary. I think this obliges you to say the Rosary daily. My mother was the President of the Third Order of St. Dominic. When she was being buried I asked God if she was in Heaven. Immediately after I asked Him my best friend said: "Do you know what day it is, Rob?".I replied: "No". He said it's the Feast of Thomas Aquinas!" I knew this was God's answer because my name in the Christian Brothers was Brother Aquinas.

When my mother's coffin was leaving the Churh a friend of hers screamed out: "your mother was a saint".

Only just read this thread.Have any of those who have posted been to Medjugorje in (Bosnia and Herzegovinia). Our Lady has been appearing there since 1981 to 6 (young then) children,(Not approved by the Church yet as the apparitions are still happening. Two of the children Vicka and Jakov were taken by Our Lady to visit Purgatory.

Hi Constance,It is not a "payment" so much as it is considered a free will gift to God--its sometimes referred to an "Mass offering". There is really no set price of the Mass offering, although I have seen "suggested" offering amounts-in my area the normal offering is usually $10-15 for a daily Mass and $20 for a Sunday Mass, but I the end one is completely free to offer whatever one is comfortable with.And as you know the Church essentially subsists off of donations, so obviously donations are important.May God bless you and your loved ones!-Glenn

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"Why do you talk to me as if I am so far away? I am very near....in your heart.""Ask Me for love. Ask Me; I am burning with desire to give it to you""Talk to Me. For Me there is no sweeter prayer"-Words of our Lord to Gabrielle Bossis.